339/6 (50.0)
CR : 6.78
381/3 (50.0)
CR : 7.62
Sri Lanka won by 42 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
P Nissanka
210(139)
10:46 PM IST, Local Time: Sri Lanka draws first blood in this ODI series after a hard fought 42 run win over Afghanistan. The visitors were down and out at one point, but they came roaring back through Omarzai and Nabi to make a match out of this. But it was a bridge too far as the hosts take a 1-0 lead going into the next match on Sunday.
Chasing 382 for the win, Afghanistan were initially blown away by Sri Lanka as the top order went with cheap scores. Gulbadin Naib scored 16 as they were reduced to 55/5 at one stage. But then cam the Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi show. The duo put on 242 runs for the 6th wicket. Nabi scored an enterprising 136 off 130 balls while Omarzai scored 149* off 115 balls. Ikram got to double figures as Pakistan ended with a credible 339/6 in 50 overs. 9 extras given by the fielding side today.
For Sri Lanka, Pramod Madushan was the pick of the bowlers as his 4/75 in 10 overs ran through the top order before he was taken to the cleaners later on. A couple of wickets for Dushmantha Chameera who walked off the field injured. Hasaranga and Theekshana went wicketless but kept things relatively tight out there.
Earlier in the game, Sri Lanka were asked to bat first by Afghanistan. It was the Pathum Nissanka show as he dazzled under the Pallekele sunshine. He broke a lot of records and scored the first ever double century by a Sri Lankan batter. He carried his bat with his 210* off 139 balls. He was initially supported by Avishka Fernando who scored 88 off 88 balls. Skipper Kusal Mendis scored 16 while Sadeera Samarawickrama scored 45 off 36 balls. 15 extras given by the fielding side as Sri Lanka ended with a mammoth 381/3 in 50 overs.
Mohammad Nabi was the most economical bowler on display as he finished with 1/44 in 10 overs. Fareed Ahmad Malik picked up a couple of wickets for 79 runs in 9 overs. The rest of them went wicketless and went for runs as well.
So, Sri Lanka wins by 42 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. Next match is on Sunday. Stay tuned for the presentations.
Chasing 382 for the win, Afghanistan were initially blown away by Sri Lanka as the top order went with cheap scores. Gulbadin Naib scored 16 as they were reduced to 55/5 at one stage. But then cam the Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi show. The duo put on 242 runs for the 6th wicket. Nabi scored an enterprising 136 off 130 balls while Omarzai scored 149* off 115 balls. Ikram got to double figures as Pakistan ended with a credible 339/6 in 50 overs. 9 extras given by the fielding side today.
For Sri Lanka, Pramod Madushan was the pick of the bowlers as his 4/75 in 10 overs ran through the top order before he was taken to the cleaners later on. A couple of wickets for Dushmantha Chameera who walked off the field injured. Hasaranga and Theekshana went wicketless but kept things relatively tight out there.
Earlier in the game, Sri Lanka were asked to bat first by Afghanistan. It was the Pathum Nissanka show as he dazzled under the Pallekele sunshine. He broke a lot of records and scored the first ever double century by a Sri Lankan batter. He carried his bat with his 210* off 139 balls. He was initially supported by Avishka Fernando who scored 88 off 88 balls. Skipper Kusal Mendis scored 16 while Sadeera Samarawickrama scored 45 off 36 balls. 15 extras given by the fielding side as Sri Lanka ended with a mammoth 381/3 in 50 overs.
Mohammad Nabi was the most economical bowler on display as he finished with 1/44 in 10 overs. Fareed Ahmad Malik picked up a couple of wickets for 79 runs in 9 overs. The rest of them went wicketless and went for runs as well.
So, Sri Lanka wins by 42 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. Next match is on Sunday. Stay tuned for the presentations.
Time for the post-match presentation...
Player of the Match: Pathum Nissanka
Pathum Nissanka (Player of the Match): "I am very happy with my performance and I didn't know about Sanath Jayasuriya's record. The opening partnership was crucial for us to get to that total."
Hashmatullah Shahidi (Afghanistan Captain): "The decision was due to the dew factor. It was good to bat on in the second innings. We batted well, but bowling we let them down. I think we gave away too many runs in the powerplay and middle overs. We had hopes that Nabi and Azmat will take us home but it was not to be in the end. They gave us hope and lots of positives to take to the next game. We lost too many wickets upfront as well."
Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka Captain): "The bowling was good at the start but the Afghan batters batted brilliantly. We thought of 330 runs but happy that we managed to post 381 runs in the first innings."
That's it from our coverage of this game. We will be back on Sunday for the second ODI between the two teams at the same venue. Stay tuned to our network for all other cricketing actions across the globe and across formats. For now, this is Ayan Chatterjee signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Deepak Prakash alongside scorer/analyst Dushyant Madhukar Kumar. Stay safe, happy, and cool. Goodnight and CHEERS!