Cricket

Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka 2023

Afghanistan's 21-year-old opener Ibrahim Zadran missed his fourth ODI century by just two runs but his knock helped the visitors register a comfortable win over Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the series. In the absence of an injured Rashid Khan, Hashmatullah Shahidi used his bowlers well to restrict Sri Lanka to 268. The 269-run target was chased by Afghanistan with six wickets hand and 19 balls to spare.&nbsp; &nbsp;<h3>Asalanka saves the day for Sri Lanka &nbsp;</h3>Shahidi won the toss and opted to field first at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Hambantota. Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi struck early. Dimuth Karunaratne was dimissed in the third over for a single-digit score. With the new ball, Farooqi struck again to get Kusal Mendis' wicket. Angelo Mathews was the next to fall in the 15th over. Opener Pathum Nissanka could not capitalise on a good start. Mujeeb Ur Rahman scored 38 runs from 59 balls.&nbsp; &nbsp;The 99-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Charith Asalanka and Dhananjaya de Silva helped Sri Lanka recover. Veteran Afghanistan off-spinner Mohammad Nabi broke the partnership in the 38th over. Silva scored 51 runs from 59 balls including five fours. Skipper Dasun Shanaka started off well but fell to his Gujarat Titans (GT) teammate Noor Ahmad. Asalanka kept firing from one end in the slog overs. Dushan Hemantha contributed with a 20-ball 22 before losing his wicket in the penultimate over. &nbsp;In the final over, Asalanka missed a chance to score his second ODI century as he got run out. He scored 91 runs from 95 balls including 12 fours. Three wickets fell in the final over including two run outs as Sri Lanka got all out for 268 in 50 overs. &nbsp;<h3>Ibrahim does damage&nbsp; &nbsp;</h3>In the run chase, Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell early as he got bowled by Lahiru Kumara. Ibrahim and Rahmat Shah did not panic and their 146-run partnership for the second wicket helped them stay in the hunt. Kasun Rajitha broke the partnership in the 30th over. The opener's run-a-ball 98 was studded with 11 fours and two sixes. &nbsp;Skipper Shahidi and Shah took control of the run chase. Debutant Matheesha Pathirana got the breakthrough in the 37th over. Shah scored 55 runs from 80 balls including three fours. Shahidi had a chance to finish off the run chase but he became Rajitha's second victim of the day. He scored 38 runs from 47 balls including four fours. Nabi with his unbeaten 27 finished the run chase with 19 balls to spare. &nbsp;“It's very hard to get out like that. I wanted to make a hundred and finish the game, but it's part of the game,” Ibrahim said in the post-match presentation as he was adjudged ‘Player of the match’.&nbsp; &nbsp;<h3>Shanaka not too worried &nbsp;</h3>Shanaka did not blame his teammates and took it as a learning ahead of World Cup qualifiers as he said, “The plan was to play positive cricket, we had experience in the dug-out, but unfortunately things didn't go well. 300+ would have been challenging, but we felt short, we did bowl well, he (Pathirana) came straight away from IPL to a 50-over game. With the WC qualifiers close by, we wanted to have a look at him. We need to win games, but the WC qualifiers is important, we'll rotate the bowlers around throughout the series.”&nbsp;MORE ON SPORTS TAK:<a href="https://m.thesportstak.com/cricket-news/simon-harmer-south-africa-spinner-creates-history-in-t20-blast-with-hat-trick">34-year-old South African spinner creates unique history in T20 Blast with hat-trick in opening over</a> <a href="https://m.thesportstak.com/cricket-news/shweta-sehrawat-parshavi-chopra-india-a-emerging-womens-asia-cup-2023">U19 heroes Shweta Sehrawat, Parshavi Chopra in India ‘A’ squad for Emerging Women’s Asia Cup 2023</a>

Afghanistan's 21-year-old opener Ibrahim Zadran missed his fourth ODI century by just two runs but his knock helped the visitors register their first ODI century on Sri Lanka soil.

afghanistan-tour-of-sri-lanka-2-jun-2023

In the absence of Rashid Khan, Ibrahim Zadran's 98-run knock helps Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka in first ODI by 6 wickets 

Coming from behind the three-ODI series, hosts Sri Lanka registered the highest ever ODI win over Afghanistan (in terms of balls remaining) to win by 2-1. Dushmantha Chameera's four-fer and Wanindu Hasaranga's three-fer helped the hosts bundled out Hashmatullah Shahidi for 116 in 22.2 overs. Openers Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne's half-centuries then help Sri Lanka chased down the target in 16 overs with 204 balls remaining. &nbsp;<h3>Kumara, Chameera shine with new ball &nbsp;</h3>Shahidi had won the toss and elected to bat first. Lahiru Kumara drew first blood and Chameera followed with two wickets in fifth over. Kumara then got rid of an in-form Ibrahim Zadran who scored 22 runs from 21 balls. The wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi turned out to be the top-scorer with a run-a-ball 23. Chameera was expensive towards the end. Hasaranga came into play and mopped up the tail with 166 balls left in the innings. &nbsp;<h3>Easy run chase &nbsp;</h3>In the run chase, Sri Lankan openers did not give Afghans a chance to make a comeback. Nissanka scored quickly and got to his half-century from just 32 balls. In the 11th over, Gulbadin Naib got the consolation wicket in the form of Nissanka. His 34-ball 51 was studded with eight fours and two sixes. Karunaratne played patiently and was not troubled even by fit again Rashid Khan. He reached his half-century from 43 balls. Karunaratne remained unbeaten for 56 off 45 deliveries including seven fours. On the other end, Kusal Mendis scored 11 runs from 17 balls. &nbsp;<h3>Chameera’s comeback &nbsp;</h3>Adjudged 'Player of the match' Chameera credit his fitness for the terrific performance as he said, “The last 8 months I have worked hard on my fitness. I had pressure. I was feeling better after the first over. Wicket was little bit slow.” &nbsp;<h3>Captains speak &nbsp;</h3>Shahidi pointed out that bad shot selection was the reason behind Afghanistan's collapse. However, he picked a few positives from the series as well. &nbsp;“We had a bad day as batters. It happens in cricket. Still a good batting wicket. We lost early wickets. Some bad shot selections didn't help us. We need to improve. Specially in batting. We will work harder for the series against Bangladesh. Ibrahim has been doing good for the last one year. Hoping he will do good in Asia Cup and the World Cup,” Shahidi said in the post-match presentation.&nbsp; &nbsp;Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka commended his teammates and selectors for backing the team despite losing the first ODI. &nbsp;“After being 1-0 down, coming here and wrapping it up was special. Dimuth has been outstanding in the last two years. He has lot more to offer for Sri Lankan cricket. We played as a group and showed what we can do. Chameera and Kumara set it up for us. Selectors showed the faith in them and they have showed what they can do. Always good to have selection headache,” Shanaka said. &nbsp;MORE ON SPORTS TAK:<a href="https://production-admin.thesportstak.com/news/'Best%20Test%20player%20of%20this%20generation':%20King%20Kohli%20makes%20sensational%20claim%20on%20Australia's%20star%20ahead%20of%20WTC%20final%20%20%20%20%20%20'Best%20Test%20player%20of%20this%20generation':%20Virat%20Kohli's%20king-sized%20remark%20on%20Steve%20Smith%20ahead%20of%20WTC%20Final%20%20Team%20India%20will%20take%20on%20Australia%20in%20the%20final%20of%20the%20World%20Test%20Championship,%20as%20Rohit%20Sharma's%20men%20aim%20to%20end%20a%2010-year%20drought%20for%20an%20ICC%20title.%20Australia%20had%20finished%20at%20the%20top%20of%20the%20table%20in%20the%20current%20WTC%20cycle%20and%20are%20considered%20heavyweights%20in%20the%20clash%20against%20India%20due%20to%20their%20star-studded%20bowling%20lineup.%20Team%20India%20batter%20Virat%20Kohli,%20however,%20has%20now%20pointed%20out%20another%20major%20challenge%20for%20Indian%20bowlers%20as%20well,%20as%20he%20talked%20in%20detail%20about%20the%20Australia's%20Steve%20Smith.%20%20Kohli%20showered%20praise%20on%20Smith's%20batting%20abilities,%20calling%20him%20the%20%E2%80%9Cbest%E2%80%9D%20in%20current%20generation.%20The%2034-year-old%20India%20star%20also%20added%20that%20Smith's%20consistency%20with%20the%20bat%20is%20unmatchable%20among%20his%20peers,%20which%20includes%20Kohli%20himself.%20%20%E2%80%9CSteve%20Smith,%20according%20to%20me,%20is%20the%20best%20Test%20player%20of%20this%20generation.%20He%20has%20displayed%20that%20his%20adaptability%20is%20absolutely%20brilliant.%20You%20take%20any%20cricketer%20of%20this%20generation...%20in%2085-90%20Tests,%20he%20has%20an%20average%20of%2060%20which%20is%20quite%20unbelievable.%20The%20consistency%20and%20impact%20with%20which%20he%20scores%20runs,%20I%20haven't%20seen%20anyone%20else%20doing%20that%20in%20last%2010%20years.%20Definitely,%20Steve%20Smith,%20along%20with%20Marnus%20Labuschagne,%20are%20their%20main%20players%20in%20the%20batting%20order%20because%20they%20control%20their%20batting%20lineup,%E2%80%9D%20Kohli%20told%20Star%20Sports.%20%20The%20India%20batting%20great%20added%20that%20Smith%20has%20performed%20in%20England%20consisteantly%20and%20it's%20important%20for%20the%20Indian%20bowlers%20to%20not%20let%20him%20settle%20on%20the%20crease.%20%20%E2%80%9CSmith%20has%20always%20done%20well%20against%20us%20and%20he%20has%20performed%20in%20England.%20You%20want%20to%20dismiss%20him%20as%20soon%20as%20possible%20because%20he%20can%20have%20a%20match-winning%20impact,%E2%80%9D%20Kohli%20added.%20%20Smith%20had%20been%20in%20playing%20in%20England%20since%20last%20month,%20as%20he%20joined%20India's%20Cheteshwar%20Pujara%20at%20County%20side%20Sussex.%20Following%20the%20WTC%20Final,%20Smith%20will%20be%20seen%20in%20action%20at%20the%20Ashes,%20which%20begins%20in%20England%20from%20June%2016.">Big News: Star all-rounder comes out of retirement to replace Jack Leach in England's squad for 2023 Ashes series against Australia</a> <a href="https://m.thesportstak.com/cricket-news/wtc-final-dinesh-karthik-pitch-curator-with-cut-those-damn-grass-remark-cricketers-hilarious-reply-wins-internet">WTC Final: Fan urges Dinesh Karthik to become pitch curator with 'cut those damn grass' remark, cricketer's hilarious reply wins internet</a>

Dushmantha Chameera's four-fer helped Sri Lanka bundle out Afghanistan for a paltry score of 116 in third ODI which was chased down easily

Sri Lanka register biggest win over Afghanistan in ODIs, clinch series 2-1 after shock defeat in first ODI

The Sri Lankan bowlers found their form in the second ODI against Afghanistan as they won the match by 132 runs to square the three-match one-day series. This was also the Islanders' biggest win over their subcontinental neighbours and made amends for their disappointing performance in the first ODI on Friday, having lost by six wickets.After Sri Lanka set their opponents a tough target of 324 runs, fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera struck first to dismiss the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz for two runs. Then, the other opening batter Ibrahim Zadran continued his good form, scoring 54 runs while skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi top-scored with 57 runs, but once they lost their top order, it was a big collapse from the Afghanistan batters.From 146-2, Afghanistan collapsed to be bowled out for 191 runs in 42.1 overs, losing their last eight wickets for just 45 runs. leading from the front were spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Dhananjaya de Silva, who shared six wickets amongst themselves to seal a comprehensive win for the home side.Earlier, Sri Lanka's batting performance would have done a lot to improve their confidence heading to the ODI World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe later in June.While Afghanistan have already qualified for the World Cup and despite the heavy defeat on Sunday, will feel positive with star Rashid Khan expected to feature in the final game on Wednesday. The leg-spinner was ruled out of the first two with a back injury.Half-centuries by Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne helped Sri Lanka post its commanding total. While Mendis top scored with 78 runs off 75 balls with seven fours and one six, Karunaratne, who was recalled for this series to stabilize the batting, made 52 off 62 balls with seven fours.Opener Pathum Nissanka contributed 43 runs while Sadeera Samarawickrama, featuring in an ODI for the first time since 2019, made 44 off 46 balls. There was some big hitting by the lower middle order with captain Dasun Shanaka chipping in with 23 runs while Wanindu Hasaranga finished things off in style with an unbeaten 29 off 12 balls with four fours and a six.Dhananjaya de Silva was named Man of the Match for his unbeaten 29 and three wickets.MORE ON SPORTS TAK<a href="https://m.thesportstak.com/cricket-news/ashes-england-blow-hero-of-headingley-jack-leach-back-injury-ben-stokes">England suffer massive blow as the 'Hero of Headingley' is ruled out of Ashes with back injury</a><a href="https://m.thesportstak.com/cricket-news/wtc-final-sunil-gavaskar-playing-xi-india-australia-ishan-kishan-ks-bharat">WTC Final: Sunil Gavaskar picks strongest-possible playing XI for India, excludes 'X-factor' for domestic cricket veteran</a>

Led by Dhanajay de Silva, Sri Lanka managed to level the series 1-1 with an incredible all-round performance in the second ODI

Losing 8 wickets for 45 runs, Afghanistan's collapse hands Sri Lanka 132-run victory, level series 1-1

Get the latest Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka live score, Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka schedule and Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka latest news only on thesportstak

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