Hasaranga, Pathirana script thrilling win
In pursuit of 161 runs, Afghanistan found themselves on 156 for 9 as seamer Binura Fernando successfully defended the 11 runs required in the final over.
Despite skipper Ibrahim Zadran’s impressive performance with the bat, Sri Lanka managed to disrupt the Afghan run chase at crucial junctures, securing the win. Zadran remained unbeaten on 67, marking his fifth T20 half-century off 55 balls with eight boundaries.
Pathirana delivered an impressive performance with figures of 4-24, his best in T20s, while Shanaka’s quick dismissals of Mohammad Nabi and Najibulla Zadran set the stage for victory. Pathirana’s raw pace, combined with pinpoint accuracy, made him a lethal weapon, leading Sri Lanka to go one-up in the series.
The match, marking the first international game in six years at the venue and the first-ever T20 international at the venue, drew a passionate crowd who witnessed an enthralling contest as both teams battled fiercely for supremacy.
Despite Sri Lanka’s strong position at 146-5 with four overs remaining and skipper Hasaranga in fine form, they suffered a sudden collapse, losing their final five wickets for just 14 runs off 25 deliveries. Farooqi stood out with figures of 3-25, including crucial wickets of Pathum Nissanka (6) and Kusal Mendis (10).
Hasaranga emerged as the top scorer for the hosts, making 67 runs off 32 balls after coming in at number six. He stabilised the innings momentarily with a resilient 72-run partnership with Sadeera Samarawickrama when Sri Lanka was struggling at 55-4 in the eighth over.
Facing leg-spinner Qais Ahmad, Hasaranga unleashed two sixes and two fours in a blistering 22-run over. His second T20 half-century arrived in just 24 deliveries, capped off with an elegant boundary through extra cover off Qais, followed by two consecutive sixes and a four to elevate Sri Lanka’s innings.
However, the partnership was broken in the subsequent over when Samarawickrama attempted a risky single and was run out by a direct hit from Ibrahim Zadran. Hasaranga departed soon after, misjudging a drive to long-off and offering a simple catch to Zadran off Naveen-ul-Haq’s bowling.
The second match is scheduled for Monday at the same venue, with the final match set for Wednesday.
| Scoreboard | |
| Sri LankaPathum Nissanka c Gurbaz b Farooqi 06Kusal Mendis c Omarzai b Farooqi10Dhananjaya de Silva c N. Ahmad b ul-Haq 24Sadeera Samarawickrama run out 25 Charith Asalanka c Gurbaz b N. Ahmad 03 Wanindu Hasaranga c Zadran b ul-Haq 06 Dasun Shanaka c Naib b Omarzai 06 Maheesh Theekshana c Nabi b Farooqi 02 Binura Fernando b Omarzai 00 Matheesha Pathirana not out 05 Extras (lb3, w3) 06 Total (all out; 19 overs) 160 Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Nissanka, 0.4ov), 2-36 (Mendis, 4.1ov), 3-48 (Dhananjaya, 5.4ov), 4-55 (Asalanka, 7.2ov), 5-127 (Samarawickrama, 14.1ov), 6-146 (Hasaranga, 15.6ov), 7-152 (Mathews, 16.4ov), 8-155 (Theekshana, 17.5ov), 9-155 (Shanaka, 18.1ov), 10-160 (Fernando, 18.6ov) Bowling: Fazalhaq Farooqi 4-0-25-3, Naveen-ul-Haq 3-0-25-2, Azmatullah Omarzai 4-0-30-2, Noor Ahmad 2-0-18-1, Qais Ahmad 3-0-36-0, Karim Janat 3-0-23-1
Afghanistan Ibrahim Zadran not out 67 Rahmanullah Gurbaz c Pathirana b Mathews 13 Gulbadin Naib b Hasaranga 16 Azmatullah Omarzai c Shanaka b Pathirana 02 Mohammad Nabi c Hasaranga b Shanaka 09 Najibullah Zadran c de Silva b Shanaka 00 Karim Janat lbw b Pathirana 20 Qais Ahmad c Mendis b Theekshana 07 Noor Ahmad b Pathirana 09 Naveen-ul-Haq b Pathirana 01 Fazalhaq Farooqi not out 00 Extras (b4, w8) 12 Total (9 wickets; 20 overs) 156 Fall of wickets: 1-25 (Gurbaz, 2.5ov), 2-68 (Naib, 7.5ov), 3-71 (Omarzai, 8.6ov), 4-85 (Nabi, 11.2ov), 5-86 (N. Zadran, 11.3ov), 6-125 (Janat, 16.1ov), 7-137 (Q. Ahmad, 17.1ov), 8-148 (N. Ahmad, 18.3ov), 9-150 (ul-Haq, 18.6ov) Bowling: Angelo Mathews 2-0-16-1, Binura Fernando 4-0-44-0, Maheesh Theekshana 4-0-31-1, Wanindu Hasaranga 4-0-20-1, Matheesha Pathirana 4-0-24-4, Dasun Shanaka 2-0-17-2 |