Afghanistan outplay Sri Lanka to win first ODI

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Afghanistan outplayed Sri Lanka in all departments to win the first ODI by 60 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

It certainly was Afghanistan’s day from the crucial toss which they won on a placid batting surface to run up the highest total ever achieved in ODIs between the two sides 294-8. Then their three seamers Fazalhaq Farooqi (career best figures of 4/49), Gulbadin Naib (3/34) and Yamin Ahmadzai (2/34) flattened the Lankan batting for 234 in 38 overs. It was Afghanistan’s second win over Sri Lanka in five ODIs.

That nine of Sri Lanka’s wickets fell to Afghanistan’s seamers was a very rare occurrence as their success in the recent past has been through their spinners. While Farooqi unsettled the top order and came back later to finish off the innings, Gulbadin rattled the middle order with three wickets, that broke the back of the Lankan batting.

Afghanistan’s innings revolved around two good partnerships that contributed immensely towards their big total. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran set the platform with an opening stand of 84 off 88 balls and Ibrahim and Rahmat Shah added a further 118 for the second. Sri Lanka’s highest partnership was 47 and that made the difference between the two sides.

Despite two outstanding innings from Pathum Nissanka (85 off 83 balls, 10 fours) and Wanindu Hasaranga (66 off 46 balls, 10 fours, 2 sixes), none of the other batsmen could offer any support for Sri Lanka to make a real challenge of the target. Nissanka propelled the Lankan innings at the top but was left to play a lone hand, and Hasaranga who had first kept his side in the game with the ball (2/42 and 2 catches) played a heroic innings which proved to be in vain as he kept running out of partners. He was eventually the last batsmen to fall.

Ibrahim showed the skill and temperament to be a big game player for Afghanistan reaching his second ODI century off 116 balls in a stunning display of strokes that saw him reach the boundary on 11 occasions. Gurbaz on the other hand was free flowing striking nine fours in his 55-ball innings of 53. Sri Lanka missed achieving an early breakthrough when Dhananjaya de Silva put him down at slip at 13 off Kasun Rajitha. 

Rahmat Shah brought solidity to the innings scoring 52 off 64 balls (2 fours), and Najibullah Zadran scored a delightful 42 off 25 balls (5 fours, 1 six) that all but knocked the stuffing out of the Lankan bowlers.

Ibrahim took the Player of the Match award.

The second ODI will be played at the same venue on Sunday.

SCOREBOARD

AFGHANISTAN

Rahmanullah Gurbaz lbw b Hasaranga 53

Ibrahim Zadran c Hasaranga b Theekshana 106

Rahmat Shah c Mendis b Kumara 52

Najibullah Zadran c Mendis b Hasaranga 42

Gulbadin Naib c Hasaranga b Lakshan 22

Rashid Khan run out 04

Mohammad Nabi c Lakshan b Rajitha 02

Hashmatullah Shahidi run out 02

Mujeeb Ur Rahman not out 01

Yamin Ahmadzai not out 00

Extras: (b-1, lb-3, w-6) 10

Total: (8 wickets, 50 overs) 294

Fall of wickets: 1-84 (Gurbaz), 2-202 (Rahmat), 3-232 (Ibrahim), 4-267 (Najibullah), 5-277 (Rashid), 6-289 (Gulbadin), 7-291 (Nabi), 8-293 (Hashmatullah).

Did not bat: Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Bowling: Rajitha 10-0-56-1 (3w), Lakshan 6-0-43-1 (2w), Kumara 8-0-54-1, Shanaka 3-0-19-0, Hasaranga 10-0-42-2 (1w), Theekshana 10-0-62-1, De Silva 3-0-14-0.

SRI LANKA

P Nissanka b Farooqi 85

K Mendis lbw b Ahmadzai 01

D Chandimal b Farooqi 14

D de Silva b Gulbadin 16

C Asalanka c Ibrahim b Gulbadin 10

D Shanaka c Ahmadzai b Gulbadin 16

W Hasaranga b Farooqi 66

D Lakshan b Farooqi 02

M Theekshana lbw b Ahmadzai 03

K Rajitha lbw b Rashid 08

L Kumara not out 00 

Extras: (lb-5, w-8) 13

Total: (all out, 38 overs) 234

Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Mendis), 2-35 (Chandimal), 3-74 (De Silva), 4-90 (Asalanka), 5-137 (Shanaka), 6-168 (Nissanka), 7-198 (Lakshan), 8-216 (Theekshana), 9-230 (Rajitha), 10-234 (Hasaranga). 

Bowling: Farooqi 9-0-49-4 (1w), Ahmadzai 6-0-46-2 (1w), Mujeeb 5-0-33-0 (5w), Gulbadin 8-0-34-3 (1w), Rashid 8-0-40-1, Nabi 2-0-27-0.