Angelo Mathews’ all-round brilliance and the bowlers’ good show guided Sri Lanka to an unassailable 2-0 lead with a 72-run win over Afghanistan in the second T20I, played today at Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium.
Afghanistan Skipper Ibrahim Zadran won the toss for the second time in a row and elected to bowl first as they brought hard-hitting left hander Hazratullah Zazai in place of Qais Ahmad while Sri Lanka were unchanged.
Sri Lanka Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga (c), Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana
Afghanistan Playing XI: Ibrahim Zadran (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Hazratullah Zazai, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis gave Sri Lanka a quick start by adding 45 runs in just 3.5 overs, including a 17-run over against Naveen Ul Haq. The visitors came back strongly, dismissing both of them in the space of 5 deliveries.
Azmatullah Omarzai drew the first blood as he ended Nissanka’s fiery cameo of 11-ball 25, trapping him LBW. In the next over, Fazalhaq Farooqi was back into the attack and dismissed Mendis for 23.
Dhananjaya De Silva struggled to get going before holding out to long-on off Mohammad Nabi, leaving the hosts at 86/3. Skipper Hasaranga floated himself up in the batting order yet again and tried to take spinners on. However, his blitz only lasted for 22 runs off just 8 balls, while Charith Asalanka was not able to contribute either.
Sadeera Samarawickrama and Angelo Mathews revived the islanders’ innings as the duo added 66 runs for the 6th wicket in just 34 balls. The veteran Mathews smoked 3 successive sixes against Omarzai at the beginning of the penultimate over, giving the hosts some momentum back.
Samarawickrama registered his maiden T20I fifty before being dismissed hit-wicket in the final ball of the innings. The latter scored 51 balls in 42 balls including 5 boundaries. Mathews blasted a 22-ball 42 undefeated runs which consisted of 2 fours and 4 maximums as Sri Lanka finished on 187/6 in their 20 overs.
On the bowling front, Nabi was exceptional in his 4-over spell, finishing with 2/25. Omarzai was expensive, but also snatched a couple while Farooqi and Naveen shared another two wickets.
Once again, Mathews did the trick with the new ball in hand, as he removed dangerous Hazratullah Zazai for a single in the very first over. Skipper Ibrahim Zadran became Mathews’ second victim before Maheesh Theekshana nipped Gurbaz in front of the stumps, reducing them to 30/3.
Suddenly, it became 5 down for 31 when Binura Fernando got the wickets of Gulbadin Naib and Omarzai in the next over. Nabi and Karim Janat showed some fight, but it was not enough when chasing 188 to win.
Nabi, who was the top scorer for the visitors, stroked 27 runs off 17 balls. Skipper Hasaranga struck twice in the 14th over as the star leg spinner became the second-fastest bowler, as well as the second Sri Lankan, to claim 100 T20I scalps in his 63rd appearance.
Eventually, the Afghans were bundled out for 115 in 17 overs as Sri Lanka secured a comprehensive win by 72 runs and clinched the 3-match T20I series with another game to spare.
Mathews was the pick of the Lankan bowling unit, bagging 2 wickets for 9 runs in his 2 overs as he grabbed the Player of the Match Award for his brilliant all-round performance. Apart from him, Fernando, Hasaranga and Pathirana each picked up 2 wickets as well.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | lbw b Azmatullah Omarzai | 25 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 227.27 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Noor Ahmad b Fazal Haq Farooqi | 23 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 164.29 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | c Ibrahim Zadran b Mohammad Nabi | 14 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | hit-wicket b Naveen ul Haq | 51 | 42 | 5 | 0 | 121.43 |
| Wanidu Hasaranga | c Ibrahim Zadran b Mohammad Nabi | 22 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 244.44 |
| Charith Asalanka | c Naveen ul Haq b Azmatullah Omarzai | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Angelo Mathews | not out | 42 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 190.91 |
| Extras | 6 (b 0 , lb 5 , nb 0, w 1, pen 0) |
| Total | 187/6 (20 Overs, RR: 9.35) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fazal Haq Farooqi | 4 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 7.75 | |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 4 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 10.00 | |
| Naveen ul Haq | 4 | 0 | 46 | 1 | 11.50 | |
| Karim Janat | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 10.00 | |
| Mohammad Nabi | 4 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 6.25 | |
| Noor Ahmad | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 10.00 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazratullah Zazai | c Kusal Mendis b Angelo Mathews | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | c Maheesh Theekshana b Angelo Mathews | 10 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 142.86 |
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | lbw b Maheesh Theekshana | 13 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 162.50 |
| Gulbadin Naib | c Wanidu Hasaranga b Binura Fernando | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | b Binura Fernando | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Mohammad Nabi | c Kusal Mendis b Dasun Shanaka | 27 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 158.82 |
| Karim Janat | c Dasun Shanaka b Wanidu Hasaranga | 28 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 121.74 |
| Najibullah Zadran | b Wanidu Hasaranga | 9 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 60.00 |
| Noor Ahmad | not out | 5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 55.56 |
| Naveen ul Haq | b Matheesha Pathirana | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 55.56 |
| Fazal Haq Farooqi | c Dasun Shanaka b Matheesha Pathirana | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Extras | 11 (b 0 , lb 0 , nb 0, w 11, pen 0) |
| Total | 115/10 (17 Overs, RR: 6.76) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo Mathews | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 4.50 | |
| Binura Fernando | 2 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 9.00 | |
| Maheesh Theekshana | 4 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 7.50 | |
| Wanidu Hasaranga | 4 | 0 | 19 | 2 | 4.75 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 3 | 0 | 22 | 2 | 7.33 | |
| Dasun Shanaka | 2 | 0 | 17 | 1 | 8.50 | |
