Gutsy Afghans thump hapless Sri Lanka ‘A’
Mohammad Shahzad who made 48 drives.
Afghanistan who of late have been making big news in cricket showed their opponents what to expect when the fourth edition of ICC World Twenty20 gets underway on September 18 onwards. The gutsy Afghanistan cricketers coming into action in a warm up against a strong Sri Lanka A side came out victorious with a massive 51 runs win in the match played at Braybrooke Place yesterday.
They gave a lesson of discipline to be learnt after being invited to take first lease of the wicket and losing their first two wickets without a run on the scoreboard.
The middle order batting combined to affect and made the Sri Lanka A bowlers run circles and went on a leather hunt to make a formidable score of 209 for 7 in their 20 overs. Experience bowlers in the likes of Nuwan Pradeep, Kosala Kulasekera, Dushmantha Chameera and Udara Jayasundara had to face a barrage of attacks from Mohammad Nabi and Asghar Stanikzai both right hand batsmen who cracked half tons.
Afghanistan after being one down in the very first over was rescued by a fine partnership of 109 runs for the second wicket between Mohammad Shahzad and Stanizaki which came off just 58 balls before being separated with the dismissal of Shahzad. Though they lost two wickets at 109 which included Stanikzai’s who made a quick fire 50 in only 39 balls inclusive of eight boundaries and a six, Nabi the other half ton maker put on another valuable stand of 56 runs for the sixth wicket with Gulbodin Naib.
Later Nabi who made a 24 ball knock of 51 which included two boundaries and five towering sixes enabled Afghanistan to chalk up the highest score of 209 in a warm up match so far. In Sri Lanka A’s run chase the reckless batting by them only made the target of 210 runs a huge task as at the halfway stage of the innings they were reeling with the score on 91 with the top five batsmen back in the pavilion.
Despite Kosala Kulasekera putting in some resistance with a disciplined knock of 63 the other batsmen failed to make any impression as they were able to muster only 158.
Right arm pacie Zadran ended with a three wicket haul. Spinners Samiullah Shenwari, Nabi and Nasim Baras shared six wickets between them. Afghanistan 209 for 7 in 20 overs (Mohammad Nabi 51, Asghar Stanikzai 50, Mohammad Shahzad 48, Shafiquallah Shafiq 26, Gulbodin Naib 23: Kaushal Lokuarachchi 3 for 16, Nuwan Pradeep 3 for 43)
Sri Lanka A 158 in 19.3 overs (Kosala Kulasekera 63, Shehan Jayasuriya 20, Kaushal Lokuarachchi 18: Dawlat Zadran 3 for 22, Samiullah Shenwari 2 for 28, Mohammad Nabi 2 for 30, Nasim Baras 2 for 34)
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