World Cup 2023: Kusal Mendis rescues player escort from collapsing during Sri Lanka's national anthem; Watch

Just before the ICC ODI World Cup match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on 30 October at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune, a player escort experienced dizziness and started losing his consciousness.

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This unexpected incident occurred while players from both teams stood lined up for their respective national anthems.

As Sri Lanka’s national anthem played, a player escort positioned in front of Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis, started to faint.

Mendis was quick to react and held the child that prevented him from collapsing to the ground. A member from the Afghanistan support staff rushed on to the field and took the child away.

The extreme heat and humidity in Pune that day could be one of the reasons behind the unfortunate incident. A video of this incident circulated widely on social media and fans were quick to praise Kusal Mendis’s quick thinking and compassionate gesture.

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— rajendra tikyani (@Rspt1503) October 30, 2023

Coming into the match, Afghanistan continued their impressive World Cup campaign as they beat Sri Lanka for their third win in the tournament. After defeating England and securing a memorable victory over Pakistan in Chennai, Afghanistan now find themselves in a strong position to reach the semifinals.

Sri Lanka set them a target of 242, but Afghanistan did not get off to an entirely bright start when Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed by Dilshan Madushanka. However, they maintained control throughout the run chase as Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran brought the chase back on track.

Three Afghan batters – Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai, scored their respective half-centuries and Afghanistan successfully reached their target in 45.2 overs, sealing a convincing 7-wicket victory. This win propelled them to the fifth position in the points table, with a total of 6 points from 6 matches.

“Happy for the way we performed in all 3 departments. Last game gave us lot of confidence and belief that we can chase any kind of target. It was a very professional performance from the bowlers today. All the coaching and managing staff are working hard and giving us confidence,” Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said during the post-match press conference.