Match Details
It was Dasun Shanaka who won the toss and decided to bowl first on a typical Sharjah track. It was the Rahmanullah Gurbaz show from the get-go as his innings propelled Afghanistan to a competitive total. Zazai struggled today for his 13 off 16 balls in the opening partnership of 46 runs. Gurbaz was magnificent with his 84 off 45 balls as he top-scored in the innings. Ibrahim Zadran gave him good company and contributed 40 off 38 balls. Najibullah scored 17 off 10 balls alongside 11 extras allowing Afghanistan to get to 175-6 in their allocated 20 overs.
Couple of wickets for Dilshan Madhushanka. Maheesh Theekshana and Asitha Fernando picked up a wicket each. Wanindu Hasaranga went wicketless
but kept things tight giving less than run-a-ball. Chamika Karunaratne and
skipper Dasun Shanaka went the distance in their respective bowling efforts. The Lankan bowlers were good in the last five overs of the innings. The Afghans could have gone up to 190, but it was not to be thanks to brilliant bowling by Sri Lanka. The Afghans were also shoddy in the field as some important catches were dropped.
So, a win for Sri Lanka by 4 wickets with 5 balls to spare to get the two points as Afghanistan let this game slip. Stay tuned as we will have the presentation for you soon.