Afghanistan Cricket Board Lodges Official Complaint With ACC After Miscalculation Costs Them Place In Super 4s Of Asia Cup 2023 With Loss To Sri Lanka

Needing 292 to win in stipulated 37.1 overs to qualify for Super 4 of Asia Cup 2023, Afghanistan lost ninth wicket at by the cut-off over. However, they did not know they could still qualify.

Mohammad Nabi batting against Sri Lanka. (Source: Twitter)

Afghanistan were knocked out of the Asia Cup 2023 after their loss to Sri Lanka in the group stage of the competition. The loss left them distraught, more so because of how they failed to understand the math. A miscalculation on their part cost them the match and with that the place in the Super 4s. Now, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had reached out to Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to lodge a complaint with them. ACB want to interrogate whose fault was it to miscalculate the winning scenario for Afghanistan in the match?

How did Afghanistan miscalculate?

After winning the toss in the sixth match of the Asia Cup vs Afghanistan, Sri Lanka opted to bat first. The islanders smashed 291 runs for loss of eight wickets in 50 overs, powered by 92 from Kusal Mendis. Afghanistan were required to chase down the target in 37.1 overs to qualify for the Super 4s. They fell short by 2 runs and got bowled out for 289 in 37.4 overs.

Afghanistan's chase did not start that well as they lost both of their openers early. Gulbadin Naib was was promoted to No 3 to steady the innings as well score quickly. Rahmat Shah also batted beautifully and smashed 45 off just 40 balls before departing. Experienced Mohammad Nabi came in at 121 for 5 and stroked a 24-ball fifty, which is now the fastest by an Afghanistan batter.

A tough but a very unfortunate loss _

Things were all set but suddenly it turned around completely as we fell short of victory & Super 4 by just 2 runs. Btw, extremely proud of #AfghanAtalan for the effort they have put in. Incredible stuff! _#AsiaCup2023 | #WakhtDyDaBarya pic.twitter.com/GCstMZgdrR — Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) September 5, 2023

Skipper Hasmatullah Shahid also scored 59 off just 66 balls but when Nabi (65 off 32) and he fell, the innings started to lose tempo as wickets tumbled. With one ball remaining to qualify and 3 still needed, Afghanistan lost their ninth wicket in form of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who scored a duck. With target missed, Afghanistan took things lightly. Fazalhaq Farooqi was on strike and he played two dots before getting out on the fourth ball of the over. 

What Aghanistan did not know that is that if that had hit a six and reached score of 295 in the next three balls (by 37.4), they would have qualified for the Super 4s.

Afghanistan management did not know that they could have bettered the Sri Lankan Net Run Rate (NRR) if they reached 293 after 37.2 overs, 294 after 37.3, 295 after 37.5 overs, 296 after 38 overs, or 297 after 38.1 overs. 

Had they known these calculations, Fazalhaq Farooqi could have given strike back to Rashid Khan and he could have helped finish the game with a big hit. Fazalhaq blocked the next two balls rather and got out on the third ball he faced.

“We were never communicated those calculations. All we were communicated was we needed to win in 37.1 overs. We were not told what the overs in which we could get 295 or 297, That we could win in 38.1 overs was never communicated to us,” Trott was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott said that the the team was never told about the other calculations and qualification scenarios. All that they were told about was that the target was to be achieved in 37.1 overs. "We were never communicated those calculations. All we were communicated was we needed to win in 37.1 overs. We were not told what the overs in which we could get 295 or 297, That we could win in 38.1 overs was never communicated to us," Trott was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

However, Trott also said that Afghanistan need to do better self-analysis than think about the miscalculations. He wants his bowlers to get better before the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023.