The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That is it from this match. This is Probuddha Bhattacharjee signing off on behalf of Lavil. Stay tuned on Sportskeeda for the latest live-action from the cricketing world.
Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka Captain): To be honest we were short by 15-20 runs, but our bowlers did a great job. With spinners in, I backed myself as a batter. I did my things and that worked out. We played six batters and an all-rounder, but the collapse despite that was disappointing. I enjoyed the conditions here.
Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan Captain): To be honest, I do not like losing but it is a part of the game. We gave our best but we lost it in the end. We will take the lessons from this and try to comeback stronger. 160 was chase-able and we had a good start. But we lost wickets in the middle-overs and gave the game away. I did try to win the game for the team but we did not have wickets in hand and as a result I cannot take by team through. I am happy with my innings but that is not enough. I will work on my game and try to finish games for my nation on the future.
Matheesha Pathirana (Player of the match): Always wanted to win this match. It has been a long time I played since my T20I debut and I do not know how to express my happiness. It is not a new thing for me to pick up a break through. I have done it in the IPL and have a little bit of experience as well. I wanted to win this match and tried what I wanted to do and it was successful.
Match End!!!
Afghanistan has scored 156/9 in their 20 overs. Sri Lanka have won the match by 4 runs. Wanindu Hasaranga - 67 (32) | Fazalhaq Farooqi - 3/25 (4 Overs) Ibrahim Zadran - 67* (55) | Matheesha Pathirana - 4/24 (4 Overs)
What a match!!!! What a finish!!!! Binura Fernando bowled according to the field and as per the plans set. Well, that was induced by the excellent 19th over bowled by Pathirana. Sri Lanka have managed to scrape this game by four runs.
It was a challenging target for Afghanistan and the early loss of Rahmanullah Gurbaz did not help their cause. But Gulbadin Naib and Ibrahim Zadran stitched a good partnership of 43 runs and got the team going. It was once again Hasaranga who helped Sri Lanka crawl back in the match with the wicket of Naib.
At this stage Afghanistan needed a partnership, and Sri Lanka needed more wickets. But the Sri Lankans were ready to make the most of the scope that they had. Pathirana provided them with the wicket of Omarzai and the pressure was on Afghanistan to bail themselves out of the situation.
The Sri Lankans continued to chip away with regular wickets and put the visitors out of the game. But Ibrahim Zadran kept things together at one end. He went past the fifty mark and was the only man putting up a fight for the Afghan team. With Zadran and Janat in the middle, Afghanistan needed 44 runs off 30 balls to win the match.
But once again, Sri Lanka turned the match in their favour when Pathirana dismissed Janat in the 17th over. After the departure of Janat, the only man standing between Sri Lanka and a victory was Ibrahim Zadran. But it was once again Pathirana, who struck the Afghans with thunder. He bowled a brilliant 19th over and left the Afghans with only one wicket in the last over. As a result of the lack of resources, Zadran failed to get the team past the victory line even though he batted till the end.
With this win the Sri Lankans have taken a 1-0 lead in the series.
20
overs
156/9score
0
0
0
0
2
4
runs
Ibrahim Zadran*
67(55)
Fazalhaq Farooqi
0(0)
Binura Fernando
0/44
19.6 Binura Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, FOUR! BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER AS SRI LANKA WINS! Full and outside the off stump, Zadran smokes that one down the ground and adds a boundary. That surely lessens the deficit of their loss, but increases their wait for a win on this tour as Sri Lanka win by 4 runs and take a 1-0 series lead in this 3 match T20I series
19.5 Binura Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, TWO RUNS! Length delivery on the line of the off stump, Zadran goes high but not long enough and the man at third man shells the catch. They only manage two runs. Sri Lanka pretty much have it in the bag, unless something goes horribly wrong
19.4 Binura Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, FOUR DOTS BACK TO BACK! Full and wide outside the off stump, Zadran looks to go over covers but has a huge play and a miss. Two boundaries to win for Afghanistan, 10 runs for a Super Over
19.3 Binura Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, NO RUN AGAIN! Full and outside the off stump, Zadran hits that one towards deep third man and the pair turn down yet another single
19.2 Binura Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, full toss going across the right hander. Zadran has a play and a miss. No run
19.1 Binura Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, full and outside the off stump. Zadran hits that one towards deep extra cover but turns the single down
Once again there is a problem with the stump. The stumps are being changed and hence there is a delay.
Binura Fernando [3.0-0-38-0] will bowl the last over.
A brilliant over by Pathirana. But Afghanistan has managed to see that over off without being bundled out. It is now upto Zadran to get this done against Binura Fernando. But in no way this game belongs to any one team here. With nine wickets down, Hasaranga will hope that his bowler bowls one good delivery that brings them the wicket.
19
overs
150/9score
1
0
W
1
1
W
runs
Naveen ul Haq*
1(2)
Ibrahim Zadran
61(49)
Matheesha Pathirana
4/24
18.6 Matheesha Pathirana to Naveen Ul Haq, BOWLED HIM! PATHIRANA FINISHES WITH 4 WICKETS! Full, quick and at the base of the wickets, Naveen makes room and looks to guide it away but misses and his bails fly out of the grooves. Afghanistan are 9 down and need 11 runs to win. GAME ON!
Naveen-ul-Haq b Matheesha Pathirana 1 (2b, 0x4, 0x6)
18.5 Matheesha Pathirana to Ibrahim Zadran, length delivery outside the off stump. Zadran knocks it towards covers for a single. Pretty surprising as Theekshana decides against the throw
18.4 Matheesha Pathirana to Naveen Ul Haq, length delivery on the line of the middle and leg stump. Naveen knocks that one towards deep midwicket for a single
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Ibrahim Zadran
*
Binura Fernando
Video
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