Disappointed Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said he was proud of the efforts of his players, despite the fact they fell agonisingly short of earning a place at the Super Four stage of the ongoing Asia Cup tournament. Afghanistan was handed a heartbreaking two-run loss at the hands of Sri Lanka that knocked them out of the event on Tuesday.

Due to their inferior run rate, Afghanistan needed to chase down a 292-run target set by Sri Lanka in 37.1 overs to qualify for Super4s. Veteran Mohammad Nabi (65 off 32 balls) put them on the cusp of a famous win by smashing the fastest half-century by an Afghanistan batter in ODIs. Eventually, Afghanistan fell agonisingly short by two runs as they were bowled out for 289 in 37.4 overs.