Mendis makes 92; Afghanistan need 292 in 37.1 overs to qualify

50 overs Sri Lanka 291 for 8 (Mendis 92, Naib 4-60) vs Afghanistan

Kusal Mendis struck an 84-ball 92, and a fighting eighth-wicket stand between Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana saw Sri Lanka end on 291 for 8 in Lahore, but several unconverted starts meant they have given Afghanistan a glimpse of qualification at the halfway stage of this contest. To achieve that though, Afghanistan will need to chase down these runs in 37.1 overs.

While that's still a quite steep required rate of nearly eight an over, it had seemed like it could have been much worse when Mendis and Charith Asalanka were going strong through the middle overs. The pair put on a 102-run stand for the fourth wicket, and set a platform for a late-overs assault that never quite materialised.

The inability to see through their plans was a theme throughout the Lankan innings, while also a testament to the quality of the Afghan bowlers, particularly Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan, who would end on figures of 4 for 60 and 2 for 63 respectively.

After a threatening opening stand of 63 between Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka had gotten Sri Lanka off to an ideal start, Naib would strike, deceiving the former with a slower ball outside off that could only be chipped gently to cover. This would be one of three scalps Naib would grab in a marathon seven-over spell in the unforgiving Lahore heat.

After Karunaratne's fall, Nissanka would slash a loose Naib delivery straight to point, which would would be followed shortly after by a Sadeera Samarawickrama feathering one through to the keeper.

At 86 for 3 Sri Lanka needed to consolidate, and so they did through Mendis and Asalanka. The pair would needle the ball around with the odd boundary thrown in till the midway point of the innings, before Mendis unleashed on Rashid at the start of the 27th. Three consecutive boundaries either side of square leg provided fresh impetus to the innings, as Sri Lanka scored 58 runs between the 26th and 33rd overs.

Even after Asalanka fell, offering up a return catch on a leading edge to a Rashid googly, Mendis would continue unbothered, taking Mujeeb and Rashid for monster sixes over long-on and deep midwicket respectively.

Dhananjaya would be castled by Mujeeb during this time, but Mendis looked like he had locked up one end. It would take a moment of genius or misfortune to dismiss him, and it was the latter that would transpire.

Dasun Shanaka would chip one back to Rashid, but as the bowler dropped it, the ball would deflect on to the non-striker's stumps to have Mendis short of his crease. Shanaka would be bowled by Rashid around his legs going for a sweep a little while later, and Sri Lanka suddenly looked in danger of not batting out their 50 overs.

But Wellalage and Theekshana had other ideas. After knocking it around for singles to take it closer to the death, both batters would find crucial boundaries to push the target closer to 300. This was the type of innings Wellalage has played many times during his Under-19 career, but his ability to deliver in such a pressure environment belied a maturity well beyond his years. While Theekshana continued a recent trend of gritty lower-order knocks. The pair finished with a stand of 64 from 63, to ensure that Sri Lanka's bowlers have a decent target to defend.