177/2 (25.5)
CR : 6.85
349/9 (49.0)
CR : 7.12
Afghanistan A won by 4 runs (DLS METHOD) 🏆
Player of the Match
Imran Mir
1/2175(70)*
5:26 PM IST, Local Time: And guess what, the drizzle is back and the groundsmen rush in with the covers. The DLS par score at this stage is 174. Afghanistan A are three runs ahead of it at the moment. It has gone quite dark as well. If the action doesn't resume, Afghanistan A will emerge victorious.
5:56 PM IST, LOCAL TIME: A glimmer of intent from the ground crew as they have started to peel away one of the square covers, but they are playing it safe for now, as the main pitch remains completely tucked away under wraps. It's a cautious step forward, but the atmosphere remains incredibly tense. Those stubborn, heavy dark clouds are still hanging ominously over the stadium, threatening to open up at any second and spoil the hard work.
Over 26
Afghanistan A 177/2
Imran Mir75(70)
Bahir Shah51(52)
Vipraj Nigam0-30(4.5)
AFG-A won by 4 runs (DLS METHOD)
6 PM IST, Local Time: That’s it. The umpires have had enough as they call off the game. Afghanistan A emerge victorious as they beat India A by four runs on the DLS method to start their Tri-Series on a winning note. A well-constructed partnership between Imran Mir and Bahir Shah helped them hand India A their first loss of the series.
Chasing a revised target of 294 in 38 overs, skipper Imran Mir and Hassan Eisakhil put 63 for the opening wicket before the latter holed out in the deep on 34. It was a short stay for Khalid Taniwal (2) at the crease. Bahir Shah joined Mir and both kept going strong, bringing up their respective fifties and keeping the Indian side at bay.
Both Mir and Shah made sure that their side stayed ahead of the DLS par score. Afghanistan A were well-placed at 177/2 after 25.5 overs before the rain arrived and halted the play. No further play was possible and Afghanistan A were declared winners as they were four runs ahead of the DLS par score.
India A were asked to bat first and they got off to a fiery start. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored a quickfire 22-ball 44 before falling in the eighth over. Priyansh Arya fell cheaply on eight. Prabhsimran Singh looked solid at the top of the order and missed out on a well-deserved ton by 16 runs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (66) and skipper Tilak Varma (66) laid the foundation for a strong finish before Suryansh Shedge (40) played a fine knock at the back end to power India A to 349/9 at the end of their innings.
For Afghanistan A, Abdullah Ahmadzai starred with a fifer. He registered figures of 5/68 from his nine overs. Farmanullah Safi (3/85) grabbed three scalps but was on the expensive side. The unbeaten 108-run stand between Mir (75*) and Shah (51*) in the second innings proved to be the difference between the two sides as Afghanistan A won the game by four runs on the DLS method.
Chasing a revised target of 294 in 38 overs, skipper Imran Mir and Hassan Eisakhil put 63 for the opening wicket before the latter holed out in the deep on 34. It was a short stay for Khalid Taniwal (2) at the crease. Bahir Shah joined Mir and both kept going strong, bringing up their respective fifties and keeping the Indian side at bay.
Both Mir and Shah made sure that their side stayed ahead of the DLS par score. Afghanistan A were well-placed at 177/2 after 25.5 overs before the rain arrived and halted the play. No further play was possible and Afghanistan A were declared winners as they were four runs ahead of the DLS par score.
India A were asked to bat first and they got off to a fiery start. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored a quickfire 22-ball 44 before falling in the eighth over. Priyansh Arya fell cheaply on eight. Prabhsimran Singh looked solid at the top of the order and missed out on a well-deserved ton by 16 runs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (66) and skipper Tilak Varma (66) laid the foundation for a strong finish before Suryansh Shedge (40) played a fine knock at the back end to power India A to 349/9 at the end of their innings.
For Afghanistan A, Abdullah Ahmadzai starred with a fifer. He registered figures of 5/68 from his nine overs. Farmanullah Safi (3/85) grabbed three scalps but was on the expensive side. The unbeaten 108-run stand between Mir (75*) and Shah (51*) in the second innings proved to be the difference between the two sides as Afghanistan A won the game by four runs on the DLS method.
Tilak Varma (India A Captain): "[Thoughts on their score] Honestly, we batted well. 340 was a good total. But unfortunately, you know how the DLS works. We were still in the game but unfortunately finished on the wrong side.
[On their bowling performance] We got a couple of chances but they fell short of the fielders. Afghanistan batted well. But at the same time, we were thinking that the game will go till the 38th over. It would have been tough to chase that total.
[Is bowlers' form a concern?] I won't say it's a concern. We will go to the drawing board and come back stronger. Our goal is to come back harder and win the games and win the final."
[On their bowling performance] We got a couple of chances but they fell short of the fielders. Afghanistan batted well. But at the same time, we were thinking that the game will go till the 38th over. It would have been tough to chase that total.
[Is bowlers' form a concern?] I won't say it's a concern. We will go to the drawing board and come back stronger. Our goal is to come back harder and win the games and win the final."
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: IMRAN MIR
Imran Mir (Player of the Catch and Afghanistan-A Captain): (On the win) "First, thanks to Allah. It was a good chase, and I'm quite happy with the performance.
(On the reduced target and overs) What we were thinking was to go for the chase from the beginning when we won the toss. That was the plan. We were thinking of going long, as long as we could. We were never thinking of the game getting this short. But you need to be prepared because whenever anything happens, it's a game of cricket. Anything can happen at any point.
(On the pitch) I think it was a good surface to bat on. During the first innings, our bowlers were not as good as they should have been. But it was good for batting, and we did well."
(On the reduced target and overs) What we were thinking was to go for the chase from the beginning when we won the toss. That was the plan. We were thinking of going long, as long as we could. We were never thinking of the game getting this short. But you need to be prepared because whenever anything happens, it's a game of cricket. Anything can happen at any point.
(On the pitch) I think it was a good surface to bat on. During the first innings, our bowlers were not as good as they should have been. But it was good for batting, and we did well."
That brings an end to our coverage of this game. It was pleasure bringing you all the updates. Keep joining us for more cricketing action all around the globe. For now, this is Akshay Bhide, signing off, on behalf of my co-commentator Dev Rajawat and scorers Ghanendra Singh Thakur and Bishal Mandal. Bye bye.