Kabul – November 9, 2026: Afghanistan’s National U19 Cricket Team continued its impressive campaign in the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2026, defeating Sri Lanka by 125 runs in their third group-stage match to secure a place in the semi-finals for the first time since 2019.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka
elected to field first. Afghanistan posted a competitive total of 275 runs
before being bowled out, setting Sri Lanka a target of 276. Subhanullah Zakhil
led the batting effort with a brilliant 107, while Abidullah Abid contributed
55, Faisal Mubariz scored 33 and Tahir Sarwari added 32 runs.
In response, the Afghanistan
Future Stars produced an equally impressive performance with the ball, bowling
Sri Lanka out for just 150 runs to seal a comprehensive 125-run victory.
Noor Ali Niazi once again
delivered an outstanding performance, claiming four wickets for Afghanistan.
Amir Hamza picked up two wickets, while captain Sohail Khan and Mohammad Ali
Barakzai took one wicket each.
Subhanullah Zakhil was named
Player of the Match for his magnificent century.
With this victory, Afghanistan
completed a clean sweep of all three group-stage matches, finishing at the top
of their group and securing qualification for the semi-finals. The Afghanistan
Future Stars will face the second-placed team from Group A next Thursday, with
a place in the final at stake.