2024-02-19 10:16:34
The target, however, was not very big. Afghanistan would have won if they scored 161 runs in the first T20 in Dambulla. Captain Ibrahim Zadran batted from the beginning to the end of the innings to chase that goal. At this time, he faced 55 balls and scored 67 runs with 8 fours. Afghanistan can score up to 156 runs by losing 9 wickets. And Sri Lanka won the first T20 by 4 runs.
Afghanistan needed 11 runs to win in the last over. Ibrahim did not get any runs off the first four balls of Binura Fernando. He lost the match with 6 runs off the last two balls. No one but Ibrahim could benefit in that way. Karim Janat scored the second highest 20 runs with 2 fours. Apart from this, Gulbadin Naib scored 16 with 2 fours and Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 13 runs. None of the rest could touch the double-digit quota.
Mathisha Pathirana collapsed in Afghanistan’s batting lineup with the ball. He took 4 wickets with 24 runs in 4 overs. He was also the man of the match. Dasun Shanaka took 2 wickets with 17 runs in 2 overs.
Before that, the hosts could not bat the entire 20 overs after losing the toss. Sri Lanka were all out for 160 runs in 19 overs in the face of Afghanistan’s bowlers.
Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga scored the only fifty with the bat. He scored 67 off 32 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes. Sadira Samarawickrama scored 25 off 3 fours and Dhananjaya De Silva scored 24 runs off 17 balls with 2 fours and 1 six. Besides, Kusal Mendis scored 10 runs in 1 six.
Afghanistan’s Fazal Haque Farooqui took 3 wickets with 25 runs in 4 overs. Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai took 2 wickets each.