Afghanistan played Sri Lanka in a high-stakes cricket match with a complicated qualification scenario. To advance in the tournament, Afghanistan needed to chase down Sri Lanka’s 291-run total within 37.1 overs. That meant scoring 292 runs before the second ball of the 38th over. As the innings neared its end, Rashid Khan stepped up and made a strong push. He hit a couple of boundaries, one of which came off a lucky inside edge, bringing Afghanistan to 289 with a few balls to spare.
Then it all went wrong. His batting partner was caught trying to win it, thinking it was their only shot. The team believed they had just one chance to qualify and missed it. In reality, with three balls still left before the 37.4 mark, they could’ve advanced by hitting a six, which would’ve taken their total to 295. They didn’t know this. The batters blocked a very hittable ball, clearly unaware of the qualification math. The final batter eventually got out, ending the match. Afghanistan lost not because of poor performance, but because no one told them the correct scenario. The coach admitted later in a press conference that no one from their analytics or support team communicated the math. Fans and commentators knew. The players didn’t. Sri Lanka moved on, and Afghanistan was left stunned, beaten by miscommunication more than by cricket.