A player escort at the ICC ODI World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on October 30 created a moment of concern when they fell unconscious during the national anthem ceremony at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. While the Sri Lankan national anthem played, the escort standing in front of Kushal Mendis suddenly fainted. Mendis, the Sri Lankan captain, reacted swiftly and caught the child, preventing them from collapsing to the ground.
A member of the Afghanistan team’s support staff rushed to the scene and helped move the child away from the field. The incident was attributed to the hot and humid weather in Pune, with the temperature hovering around 30 degrees Celsius on that day. While cricketers are accustomed to performing in such conditions, it proved too much for the player escort. A video of the incident quickly spread on social media and drew praise from fans for Kushal Mendis’ quick and compassionate response.
— rajendra tikyani (@Rspt1503) October 30, 2023
Despite the initial incident, Afghanistan went on to deliver a remarkable performance in the ODI World Cup, securing their third victory. Afghanistan won the toss and chose to field first, and Sri Lanka made a promising start to their innings with opener Pathum Nissanka continuing his good form. However, his partner, Dimuth Karunaratne, was unable to stay at the crease for long.
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Nissanka fell just four runs short of a half-century, but his partnership with captain Kushal Mendis set the stage for a competitive total. After Nissanka’s dismissal, Sadeera Samarawickrama joined Mendis, and both players made valuable contributions to the team’s score. Mendis scored 39 runs from 50 deliveries, while Samarawickrama added 36 runs.
However, after 30 overs, Sri Lanka’s batting lineup suffered a collapse, and they were eventually bowled out for 241 runs. In their chase, Afghanistan lost the wicket of opener Rahamanullah Gurbaz early in the innings.
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However, their other top-order batsmen demonstrated their skills, with three of them, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Azmatullah Omarzai, registering half-centuries. Afghanistan reached their target in 45.2 overs, securing a convincing 7-wicket win. With this victory, Afghanistan climbed to the fifth position in the points table, having accumulated 6 points from 6 matches in the tournament.
