Afghanistan squared off against Sri Lanka in the group B clash of Asia Cup 2023 on September 5 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Afghanistan needed to win by a big margin to pip Sri Lanka's net run rate but they suffered a heartbreak as they lost the game by two runs and faced an early exit from the competition. However, one of the reasons that resulted in them getting knocked out of the tournament was the error in the calculation of the match-winning scenarios. Complete Unawareness! Fans React After Afghanistan Miss a Chance to Qualify for Super Four of Asia Cup 2023, Lose Nail-Biting Thriller Again

Sri Lanka batted first and posted 291 runs on the board. For Afghanistan to qualify for the Super Four stage, then needed to achieve the target of 291 in 37.1 overs. The high-voltage clash went right down the wire went with Afghanistan 289 for 8 in 37 overs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman was dismissed in the next ball and the batting side believed that they have given away the chance to make it to the super fours. However, the target was not absolute and they could have won if they could have struck a six in the 38th over. With the maximum, Afghanistan would have reached 295 and have surpassed Sri Lanka's net run rate.

However, Afghanistan were not aware of the calculation and did not try to hit a boundary. Hence, they lost the match and with that the place in the Super 4s. It has been found that the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had reached out to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to lodge a complaint as they were not communicated the targets. ACB  wants ACC to interrogate on the matter and punish the match officials for communicating the winning scenarios.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2023 01:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).