SL vs AFG Full Scorecard, Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 2023 Updates

Match 1, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

Sri Lanka

268/10 (50)

Afghanistan

269/4 (46.5)

AFG won by 6 wickets

Info

Fantasy

Live

Scorecard

Playing XI

Player of the Match Ibrahim Zadran

98(98)

Player of the Series Dushmantha Chameera

Sri Lanka Inn

268/10 (50)

Afghanistan Inn

269/4 (46.5)

Batters

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

60.87

b CBRLS Kumara

Ibrahim Zadran

100.00

c (sub S Samarawickrama) b KAK Rajitha

Rahmat Shah

68.75

c DMD Silva b M Pathirana

Hashmatullah Shahidi

80.85

c K Mendis b KAK Rajitha

Mohammad Nabi *

96.43

Not out

Najibullah Zadran

116.67

Not out

Extras

(B: 1, LB: 6, NB: 1, W: 22)

TOTAL

(46.5 Ov, RR: 5.74)

269/4

Did not Bat

Azmatullah Omarzai , Mujeeb Ur Rahman , Noor Ahmad , Fazalhaq Farooqi , Fareed Malik

Bowlers

EXT

Kasun Rajitha

4.90

Lahiru Kumara

4.3

4.67

Matheesha Pathirana

8.5

7.47

Dasun Shanaka

4.3

7.11

Dushan Hemantha

5.56

Dhananjaya de Silva

4.40

Fall Of Wickets

Score

Over

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

b CBRLS Kumara

1-25

5.2

Ibrahim Zadran

c (sub S Samarawickrama) b KAK Rajitha

2-171

29.6

Rahmat Shah

c DMD Silva b M Pathirana

3-211

36.6

Hashmatullah Shahidi

c K Mendis b KAK Rajitha

4-253

45.1

Player of the Match Ibrahim Zadran

98(98)

Player of the Series Dushmantha Chameera

Commentary

Right. We are getting used to Afghanistan beating the top teams, so this isn't a surprise anymore. Sri Lanka badly missed their frontline spinners Theekshana and Hasranaga in the middle overs and Pathirana's debut too didn't go pretty well either. The hosts have a lot of work to do in the bowling department before the second ODI that begins on Sunday. Lahiru Kumara's fitness is an altogether a different question, heading into that fixture. Will we see a response from Shanaka & co? Let's find it out on Sunday, until then, this is Pragadeesh signing off on behalf of my fellow textpert Pradeep. See yaa

Hashmatullah Shahidi (Afghanistan Captain) - Really happy about the performance. Dhananjaya and Asalanka gave us a tough time. The recovery went well after that. I am happy with the boys that they bowled really well to restrict. Zadran is a match-winner and he's improving match-by-match. I always want him to do well for the team

Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka captain): The plan was to play positive cricket, losing four wickets up front was a set back and we were short of few runs in the end. It's a kind of wicket, we would set 300 and would've still continued to be true, could've bowled well. Lahiru's injury was a setback certainly. Pathirana coming from IPL, getting adjusted to ODI is not easy, it's a best opportunity for him, will continue with him and give him a role too. We need to win, the thing is to make it ready for the qualifiers, it'll be the same for that too.

Ibrahim Zadran is the Player of the Match! Here's what he has to say: It's really hard to out like that, I was disappointed, I wanted to finish the game and get to the hundred, but it's part of the game and hard luck. To be honest, our bowlers setup the game with the conditions on offer and they didn't let the batters off the hook and restricted them under 300. Me and Rahmat Shah did well with the bat. 269 was a good score on that track but not that much, we wanted to restrict them 250 but the plan was to keep them under 300. I was speaking to Rahmat, I was hitting the ball well and didn't want to score runs, waited for loose deliveries and kept rotating the strikes, told him not to play any rash shots.

Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets
Charith Asalanka 91(95) | Ibrahim Zadran 98(98)
Fareed Ahmad 2-43(8) | Kasun Rajitha 2-49 (10)

Turned out to be a convincing win for the visitors. Zadran's masterclass at the top proved pivotal for Afghanistan to chase this score with minimum fuss. It's a tricky total to begin the proceedings and the Sri Lankan frontline pacers bowled superbly to create the dot ball pressure up front.

Gurbaz didn't hold back for too long as he attempted an expensive cut shot and got dismissed but once the field got spread after the powerplay, Zadran took matters into his own hands. He didn't allow the debutant Pathirana to dictate terms as he went after him and that unsettled his rhythm completely

The slingy pacer bowled too many extras and the partnership between Zadran & Rahmat allowed Afghanistan to have a firm grip in the middle overs. Then, the spinners bowled a few tight overs but Afghanistan had things under control and they were bossing this run chase. Rajitha was brought back to remove Zadran, who was on the stroke of scoring a century but his wicket didn't help Sri Lanka to take the wind out of Afghan's sails

Soon after, Shahidi and Rahmat played sensibly. Losing Lahiru Kumara didn't help Sri Lanka's cause either and it made things easy-peasy for the visitors. In the end, Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka fair and square to go 1-0 up in the series

46.5 Matheesha Pathirana to Najibullah Zadran, THAT'LL BE IT! Afghanistan go 1-0 up in the series. Short and wide of off-stump, Zadran slaps it hard but straight to the deep cover fielder on the bounce as Zadran hits the winning runs.

46.4 Matheesha Pathirana to Najibullah Zadran, FOUR! SCORES ARE LEVEL NOW! Short and wide of off-stump, Zadran reaches and slaps it over the point region, races way as the sweeper puts in a despairing dive which goes invain.

46.3 Matheesha Pathirana to Mohammad Nabi, yorker length on the fourth stump, Nabi squeezes it to deep point for just a single.

46.2 Matheesha Pathirana to Mohammad Nabi, FOUR MORE! Afghanistan get inches closer now, length delivery on the fourth stump., Nabi slightly opens the face of the blade and guides it fine down to third-man, finds the ropes.

46.1 Matheesha Pathirana to Najibullah Zadran, wide yorker on the seventh stump line, Zadran toe ends it to extra-cover and takes a quick single.

Matheesha Pathirana [8-0-55-1] comes back into the attack

It's a rare loose delivery from Rajitha and Nabi threw the kitchen sink to get a boundary. Rajitha bowled really well in his last spell, conceding just 6 runs and picking up a wicket. It's so unfortunate that he doesn't have enough runs to have a go at the Afghan batters

overs

258 /4 score

runs

Mohammad Nabi *

22 (26)

Najibullah Zadran

1 (3)

Kasun Rajitha

2 /49

45.6 Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Nabi, FOUR! SHOT! Short and well outside the off-stump. Nabi on his toes, slashes it over backward point, falls safely and goes one bounce into the ropes for a boundary.

The physio jogs to the middle to conduct the concussion test. Nabi give a thumbs up

45.5 Kasun Rajitha to Mohammad Nabi, OH DEAR! Short delivery into the batter, Nabi swivels to pull but might've got the inside edge on to the helmet in the end.

45.4 Kasun Rajitha to Najibullah Zadran, length delivery on the stumps, Zadran taps it towards covers and gets off the mark with a single.

45.3 Kasun Rajitha to Najibullah Zadran, short and angling it across left-hander on the fifth stump. Zadran sways away from it, through to the keeper.

45.2 Kasun Rajitha to Najibullah Zadran, back of a length on the fourth stump, Zadran on the backfoot smacked it away but straight to short extra-cover fielder.

Najibullah Zadran, LHB, walks in at no.6

45.1 Kasun Rajitha to Hashmatullah Shahidi, OUT! APPEAL FOR CAUGHT BEHIND, GIVEN! There was some confusion there, Rajitha runs forward in celebration as umpire doesn't signal anything and then he asks for it, umpire acknowledges. Back of a length on the fifth stump, Shahidi on the backfoot looks to cut but gets a thick outside edge to the keeper.

Hashmatullah Shahidi c Kusal Mendis b Kasun Rajitha 38 (47b, 4x4, 0x6)

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