The Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Asia Cup 2025 Group B game was an extremely normal match untill the last over of the first innings. What happened in the final over etched the contest in the pages of history. Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to bat first. The side scored 137 runs at the loss of 7 wickets by the end of the 19th over. What followed was a sensational attack from Mohammad Nabi as the Afghanistan veteran smashed five sixes in the final over that was bowled by Sri Lanka spinner Dunith Wellalage. A total of 32 runs came off the over that also had a single and a no-ball.
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Mohammad Nabi hits 5 Consecutive sixes in last over. #AFGvSL pic.twitter.com/XM3JuU8FFg
— U' (@toxifyy18) September 18, 2025
The 32 runs conceded by Wellalage became the second-most expensive over for Sri Lanka in T20Is history. It is only behind Akila Dananjaya's 36-run over vs West Indies in Antigua in 2021.
Sri Lanka pacer Nuwan Thushara (4/18) struck thrice in his lethal opening spell before Nabi played a blinder in the death overs to lead Afghanistan's sensational recovery, firing them to 169 for eight.
It seemed Afghanistan would struggle to get past 120 but Nabi's (60 off 22) final-over heroics, swung the momentum in his team's favour.
It is unusual for a spinner to bowl the final over, but captain Charith Asalanka had already exhausted his pace bowling options.
Having not chased well in the recent past, Afghanistan opted to bat but lost three wickets inside the powerplay to lose the momentum generated in the first two overs that had yielded 26 runs.
The intent, which was missing in the last game, was there but Afghanistan batters did not know how to deal with the moving ball from Thushara, who produced late swing with his slingy action, catching the likes of Karim Janat (1) and Sediquallah Atal (18 off 14) off guard.
Thushara bowled an away swinger to right-hander Janat before a similar delivery led to the downfall of the dangerous left-hander Atal, who too saw his stumps disturbed.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the first to get out, mistiming a wild slog that was pouched a wide slip.
Wellalage and Wanindu Hasaranga put on the squeeze in the middle overs as the wickets kept on falling, reducing Afghanistan to 79 for six in the 13th over.
But courtesy skipper Rashid Khan (24 off 23) and his 35-run seventh-wicket stand with Nabi, Afghanistan were able to cross the 140-run mark. Rashid's quickfire included a no-look six in the cow corner region -- a shot which now features regularly in his playbook.
Nabi smashed Dushmantha Chameera for three successive fours in the penultimate over that went for 17 runs. Chameera proved rather expensive on the night, leaking as many as 50 runs in his four overs.
Besides their impressive bowling effort, Sri Lanka's fielding too was on point, well summed by the catches taken by Chameera and Kusal Perera in the deep to dismiss Ibrahim Zadran (24) and Darwish Rasooli.
(With PTI Inputs)
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