120/1 (16.0)
CR : 7.50
116/10 (22.2)
CR : 5.19
Sri Lanka won by 9 wickets 🏆
Player of the Match
Dushmantha Chameera
4/63
SL won by 9 wickets
1:41 PM IST | A resounding performance from Sri Lanka has helped them to defeat Afghanistan by 9 wickets in the last ODI of the three-match series. With this victory, they have also clinched the series 2-1. This has been a good comeback from the Dasun Shanaka-led side after facing a drubbing in the opening ODI. This series victory would also be a good confidence booster for the home side ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers.
Chasing a meager total of 117, the left-right pair of Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka powered Sri Lanka to a blistering start. They went all guns blazing in the chase and made the most of the field restrictions. The Afghan bowlers too were inconsistent with their lines and strayed down the leg side which allowed the Sri Lankan batters to collect runs effortlessly. Nissanka was the primary aggressor in the partnership and took an aggressive route after the spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman to push Afghanistan further on the backfoot.
Sri Lanka managed to secure 84 runs off the first powerplay and Nissanka also completed his 7th half-century in ODI cricket before Gulbadin Naib broke the opening stand. The right-arm pacer trapped Nissanka in front as the right-hander had to walk back for 51(34), which included 8 fours and 2 maximums to his credit. The Sri Lankan Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne also brought up his 8th half-century in ODI cricket and cruised the home side to a comfortable victory by 9 wickets (with 34 overs remaining).
Earlier in the day, after electing to bat first, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran steered the visitors to a promising start by attacking the pace duo of Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara. However, it didn’t take Sri Lanka long enough to strike back as right-arm pacer Kumara outwitted Gurbaz 8(10) in the second over with an excellent bouncer. The extra zip off the surface kept vexing the Afghan batters as Sri Lankan pacers refused any partnerships to build.
The right-arm pacer Chameera then dismissed Rahmat Shah 7(11) and Hashmatullah Shahidi 4(3) in quick succession and kept Sri Lanka in a commanding position. The right-handed Ibrahim Zadran was striking the ball well and kept Afghanistan’s innings afloat but it was a peach of a delivery from Kumara that cleaned up Zadran for 22(21) and left the visitors reeling at 50/4 after the first powerplay. Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran joined forces to provide a little respite by stitching a 24-run partnership for the 5th wicket but their progress was also halted by Chameera.
Chasing a meager total of 117, the left-right pair of Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka powered Sri Lanka to a blistering start. They went all guns blazing in the chase and made the most of the field restrictions. The Afghan bowlers too were inconsistent with their lines and strayed down the leg side which allowed the Sri Lankan batters to collect runs effortlessly. Nissanka was the primary aggressor in the partnership and took an aggressive route after the spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman to push Afghanistan further on the backfoot.
Sri Lanka managed to secure 84 runs off the first powerplay and Nissanka also completed his 7th half-century in ODI cricket before Gulbadin Naib broke the opening stand. The right-arm pacer trapped Nissanka in front as the right-hander had to walk back for 51(34), which included 8 fours and 2 maximums to his credit. The Sri Lankan Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne also brought up his 8th half-century in ODI cricket and cruised the home side to a comfortable victory by 9 wickets (with 34 overs remaining).
Earlier in the day, after electing to bat first, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran steered the visitors to a promising start by attacking the pace duo of Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara. However, it didn’t take Sri Lanka long enough to strike back as right-arm pacer Kumara outwitted Gurbaz 8(10) in the second over with an excellent bouncer. The extra zip off the surface kept vexing the Afghan batters as Sri Lankan pacers refused any partnerships to build.
The right-arm pacer Chameera then dismissed Rahmat Shah 7(11) and Hashmatullah Shahidi 4(3) in quick succession and kept Sri Lanka in a commanding position. The right-handed Ibrahim Zadran was striking the ball well and kept Afghanistan’s innings afloat but it was a peach of a delivery from Kumara that cleaned up Zadran for 22(21) and left the visitors reeling at 50/4 after the first powerplay. Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran joined forces to provide a little respite by stitching a 24-run partnership for the 5th wicket but their progress was also halted by Chameera.
Following Najibullah’s departure, Afghanistan’s innings went nowhere as wickets keep tumbling for them. Wanindu Hasaranga ripped through the lower order and finished his stint with excellent figures of 3/7. Chameera was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts and bagged a four-wicket haul (4/63). Gulbadin Naib accumulated a crucial 20(21) and took Afghanistan past the 100-run mark. Stick around for the post-match presentation!
1:52 PM IST: Time for the post-match presentation ceremony.
Dushmanta Chameera is the Player of the Match.
Dushmanta Chameera is the Player of the Series.
Dushmanta Chameera: "Yes feels happy after surgery. I worked hard on my fitness and gave a good comeback so happy about it. I was under pressure did not play for six months. Just got into rhytm slowly. The wicket was slow and we planned it accordingly. Bowled according to the plans that was required."
Hashmatullah Shahidi (Afghanistan Captain): "Today was a bad day for our batters. We lost wickets early on and that put us under pressure. It was a decent wicket but our batters played wrong shots. We need to improve. Especially in batting. We have a series now against Bangladesh and will try to do better there. Ibrahim Zadran is doing very well in recent times and I hope he continues this form in other series and Asia Cup as well."
Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka Captain): "Thank You. Absolutely. To come back from 0-1 to wrap up the series like this is satisfying. Of course, Dimuth is a class act and he has got a lot to offer for us. I think we played as a group and showed we can do as a group. Plenty of positives. The way Chameera and Kumara bowled well was great to see. They showed their potential and I am confident about my team. It's a good headache to have and I think the selectors and the management staff will select the best 15. I am confident about my team doing well in the Qualifiers as we have a lot of positives to take back from."
Dasun Shanaka collects the trophy from Ravin Wickramaratne, the Vice-President of Sri Lanka Cricket, and hands it over to his teammates. The celebrations have begun in the Sri Lankan camp.
So, Sri Lanka has won the three-match ODI series 2-1 and they will now fly to Zimbabwe for the all-important World Cup 2023 Qualifiers. Stay tuned for more cricketing action around the world. For now, this is Megh Mandaliya, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Ayan Chatterjee alongside our scorer/analyst Raju Khariya. Cheers!