- Afghanistan’s Tour of Sri Lanka 2024 (1st T20)
Sri Lanka kept their winning streaking going with yet another sensational win over Afghanistan. The first T20 international between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka was played at the newly opened Dambulla International Stadium, with both sides exciting fans with outstanding cricket.
Sri Lanka fought their way back into the match after being bundled out for just 160 in the first innings. Lion’s skipper Wanindu Hasaranga smashed an aggressive 67 off 32 rocks to pull Sri Lanka out of the fire. Sadly, he was let down by a late-order collapse which prevented them from posting a bigger score.
Afghanistan certainly gave the Sri Lankans a run for their money, confidently piling on runs through the powerplay. Ibrahim Zadran anchored the innings with a resilient unbeaten knock of 67 runs, however, Afghanistan faltered in the final overs, failing to capitalize on favorable situations and ultimately falling short of the target by four runs.
Matheesha Pathirana was awarded the man of the match award for his exceptional death bowling, claiming a crucial four wickets for just 24 runs. Dasun Shanaka and Angelo Mathews also played pivotal roles with the ball, but it was certainly Binura Fernando who showcased nerves of steel in the final over to win the game for the hosts.
With this thrilling victory, Sri Lanka takes a 1-0 lead in the T20I series, setting the stage for an enthralling contest in the upcoming matches.
Chief Scores :
Sri Lanka – 160 for 10 in 19 overs (Wanindu Hasaranga 67, Sadeera Samarawickrama 25, Dhananjaya de Silva 24, Fazalhaq Farooqi 3 for 25, Naveen Ul Haq 2 for 25, Azmatullah Omarzai 2 for 30)
Afghanistan – 156 for 9 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 67*, Karim Janat 20, Gulbadin Naib 16, Matheesha Pathirana 4 for 24, Dasun Shanaka 2 for 17, Angelo Mathews 1 for 16)
