As it happened: Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 6 wickets to keep World Cup semi-final hopes alive

12:53 PM

That's the win!

Sri Lanka win by 6 wickets

And it's Dhananjaya de Silva who has been so very good today. He does it in style too, with a beautiful lofted cover drive that runs down to the boundary. 

A well-paced and controlled innings from de Silva, who scored a career best 66. Kusal Mendis made an important contribution early in the innings, and de Silva took over when Mendis holed out in the eighth over. 

Any other day that would have been worthy of the Man of the Match award, but for Wanindu Hasaranga who bowled an absolutely miserly spell, taking 3 for 15 in his fours. 

Sri Lanka remain in contention for the semis with this win, and none of the permutations work in Sri Lanka's favour unless they beat England on Saturday, Until then, we are glad you joined us for the ride and we'll be back bringing you live updates from that game. Cheers!

12:51 PM

Equation down to 3 from 13 and Rajapaksa tries a cute late cut. Guides the ball to the wicket keeper instead. 

Bhanuka Rajapaksa c Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Mujeeb Ur Rahman 18 (14)

12:42 PM

Rashid Khan bowls out

Almost has a third with a leg before decision that was turned down by the umpire. Afghanistan review and there are two reds, but umpire's call on impact on stumps. Bhanuka Rajapaksa survives and Sri Lanka see the spinner out. He ends with figures of 2 for 31 in his four overs. 

Sri Lanka 121/3 in 16 overs
Bhanuka Rajapaksa 15(10), Dhananjaya de Silva 42(31)
Sri Lanka need 24 off 24 balls 
 

12:26 PM

Rashid Khan makes the breakthrough again 

A change on ends for Rashid Khan, and three balls into his third over he has a second wicket. Asalanka tries to clear long on but finds the fielder instead. 

Asalanka c Azmatullah b Rashid Khan 19 (18) 
Sri Lanka 100/3 in 13.3 

12:24 PM

Two good overs for Sri Lanka

26 runs from overs bowled by Mohammad Nabi and Rasheed Khan, bring down the required rate for Sri Lanka. Dhananjaya de Silva leading the way with 35 off 24. 

Sri Lanka 89/2 in 12 overs 
Charith Asalanka 7(8), Dhananjaya de Silva 12(15)
Sri Lanka need 56 from 48 balls
 

12:12 PM

10 bowled, Sri Lanka 63 for 2

Game so evenly poised right now. Sri Lanka take 35 runs off the four overs after the Powerplay, but lose Kusal Mendis. 

Sri Lanka 63/2 in 10 overs 
Charith Asalanka 7(8) Dhananjaya de Silva 12(15)
Sri Lanka need 82 from 60 balls
 

12:03 PM

Big wicket for Afghanistan

Rashid Khan comes on and Rashid Khan strikes. Kusal Mendis has slowly grown in confidence, but attempts a sweep shot and three Afghan fielders converge on the catch, with wicket keeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz taking the catch. 

Kusal Mendis c Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Rashid Khan 25 (27)
Sri Lanka 46/2 in 7.5 overs 

11:53 AM

End of the Powerplay 

Kusal Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva see out three overs from Mujeeb ur-Rahman, with Mendis taking two boundaries off left arm pacie Fareed Ahmad. 

Sri Lanka 28/1 in 6 overs

11:43 AM

Four well bowled overs from Afghanistan 

Just 14 runs from this first four overs, as Mujeeb ur-Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi keep the pressue on Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka 14/1 in 4 overs
Dhananjaya de Silva 1(5), Kusal Mendis 1(9)

11:33 AM

Bowled!

A beauty from off-spinenr Mujeeb ur-Rahman. Pitches on middle and turns away ever so slightly from the right hander and takes the off-stump. Befuddled and bemused by a beauty was Nissanka, and Afghanistan have given themselves an opening. 

Sri Lanka 12/1 in 2 overs

Pathum Nissanka b Mujeeb ur-Rahman 10 (9)

11:26 AM

Here we go then. Sri Lanka need 145 runs in the next 20 overs to keep their World Cup campaign alive. 

Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis out to open, as per usual. left arm fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi to open the bowling for the Afghans. 

11:18 AM

Sri Lanka will be very happy with their bowling performance today. When Rahmanullah Gurbaz was going strong at the start, Afghanistan would have hoped for a bigger total here, but Sri Lanka made inroads just when Afghanistan seemed to be stringing partnerships together. Wanindu Hasaranga was superb, not giving a single boundary in his four overs, 

This pitch is throwing up some assistance for spinners, which will leave Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur-Rahman licking their lips when they come out to bowl. It's certainly a chaseable total, so if Sri Lanka go about this smartly they are surely in with a chance. 

11:13 AM

Double wicket over for Hasranga

Excellent, excellent over from Wanindu Hasaranga. Just three runs from the over, and he dismisses Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur-Rahman to boot. Finishes with figures of 3/13 with 12 dot balls in his four overs. 

Afghanistan 144/8 in 20 overs 

11:11 AM

Redemption for Shanaka

Sri Lanka's captain Dasun Shanaka drops a sitter at cover off fourth ball of the penultimate over of the innings, but redeems himself when Mohammed Nabi chips a catch to teh same area. Shanaka holds on this time. 

Mohammad Nabi c Shanaka b Rajitha 13(8)
Afghanistan 142/7 (19.3 ov)

11:07 AM

Mix-up and that's another wicket

A painful one, literally, for Afghanistan. Turned towards midwicket by Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib wants a second. But he's turned back almost half way down the track, and he slips and loses his bat. He can't reach the crease with his hand as he desperately tries to get back. Walks off holding onto his left elbow. 

Gulbadin Naib run out 12 (14b)
Afghanistan 127/5 
 

10:58 AM

Wicket for Dhananjaya de Silva

Excellent move from Dasun Shanaka to bring in Dhananjaya de Silva into the attack. The spinners have done relatively well today, outside of that one Maheesh Theekshana over that went for 17 runs. Caught on the line, brilliantly, by Wanindu Hasaranga, with Najibullah Zadran targetting the long-off boundary. Nine runs off the over, but this wicket is so important for Sri Lanka. 

Najibullah c Hasaranga b Dhananjaya 18(16)
Afghanistan 113/4 after 16 overs
 

10:48 AM

Hasaranga on the money again 

Just four from his third over. The leg spinner has been quality today and its reflected in his figures. Only 10 from his three overs so far.

Afghanistan 99/3 in 14 overs
Gulbadin Naib 3(5), Najibullah Zadran 10(10)

10:45 AM

A second for Kumara 

A big wicket for Sri Lanka, as Ibrahim Zadran was just about uppipng the ante., taking a six and four off Maheesh Theekshana. No luck as he drives uppishly against Lahiru Kumara but finds Bhanuka Rajapaksa at mid-off.

Afghanistan 90/3 in 12.2 overs 

Ibrahim Zadran c Rajapaksa b Kumara 22(18)  

10:25 AM

Hasaranga with the breakthrough

Wanindu Hasaranga strikes with the second ball after the drinks break. Perhaps the message from the Afghan coach Jonathan Trott was to push on, because Usman Ghani tries to pull Hasaranga for six, but is done in by extra bounce. There are no such things as easy catches for Sri Lanka at the moment, but captain Dasun Shanaka does his bit to hold onto it. 

Usman Ghani c Shanaka b Hasaranga 27(27) 

10:24 AM

Innings evenly poised at halfway point

10 overs gone and both teams will be content with how this innings has panned out so far. Lahiru Kumara stemmed the run flow a bit with the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first ball after the Powerplay, and though Usman Ghani carted him for a six in his next over, Sri Lanka haven't given up any boundaries in the overs since. 

Afghanistan 68/1 in 10 overs
Ibrahim Zadran 7(11), Usman Ghani 27(25)

10:16 AM

Ten off the last two overs 

Sri Lanka reeling things back a bit with overs from Lahiru Kumara and Wanindu Hasaranga going for five runs each. 

Afghanistan 52/1 in 8 Overs
Ibrahim Zadran 3(5) Usman Ghani17(19)

10:03 AM

Lahiru Kumara strikes 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz doesn't pick the inseamer and his middle stump in clattered into. Lovely delivery from Kumara, which finds the gap between bat and pad and Sri Lanka have their first wicket. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Kumara 28 (24)

10:02 AM

End of the Powerplay

34 runs off the final four overs of the Powerplay, as Rahmanullah Gurbaz tees off. Two fours and two sixes for the operner, and Afghanistan are up and running. 

Afghanistan on 42/1 
Usman Ghani14(13), Rahmanullah Gurbaz28(23)

09:43 AM

Two overs bowled

Sri Lanka will be the happier team with how the early exchanges have gone. Kasun Rajitha conceded just one run in the first over, with Pramod Madushan being punished for a delivery wide of off stump, which was hit for a boundary by Rahmanullah Gurbaz. 

Afghanistan 8/0 in 2 overs 
Rahmanullah Gurbaz 7(12), Usman Ghani 0(0)

09:32 AM

Here we go then. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who Sri Lanka will know from his stints in the Lanka Premier League, will open with Usman Ghani. 

Kasun Rajitha, who was Sri Lanka's best bowler against New Zealand, to open the bowling. 

09:25 AM

The teams are out for the national anthems, which means play is around the corner. 

09:21 AM

Both teams have made a change each. 

For Afghanistan, Gulbadin Naib was yesterday named as a replacement player for Hazratullah Zazai, who picked up an abdomen injury that ended his World Cup, and today the all-rounder slots straight into this team. 

Sri Lanka have opted to go in with a bit of a stronger bowling line up, with Pramod Madushan coming in for Chamika Karunaratne. 

09:14 AM

There is more than places for the semis at stake for both teams here. Currently Sri Lanka are fifth in the points table, whiile Afghanistan are sixth. Both teams will hope to push to finish atleast in the top four of their group, as those teams automatically qualify for the 2024 T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States of America. 

The immediate concern ofcourse will be the semis of this World Cup and this is what the points table looks like:

09:03 AM

Afghanistan will bat first, after Mohammed Nabi won the toss. 

One change for Sri Lanka, with Pramod Madushan coming in for all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne. 

09:00 AM

An update from Brisbane, and though there were some overnight and morning showers, it has cleared up and it appears play will go ahead on time. 

Rain will remain a threat though, with some overcast cloud cover. 

08:58 AM

Rain could be a big factor today, with the Australian Met Department predicting a 100% chance of rain in the morning and afternoon in Brisbane. If the match is washed out both teams remain in World Cup contention, but with more dire permutations involving other teams.

08:55 AM

Hello, good morning, and welcome to our live blog of Sri Lanka's Super 12 match against Afghanistan, a game in which both teams know defeat will end their respective campaigns.