SL vs AFG, Kusal Mendis hammers his 21st ODI fifty
What's the story
Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis smoked a brilliant half-century in the second ODI versus Afghanistan on Sunday.
The right-handed batter played with aggression and ended up scoring a 75-ball 78, a knock laced with seven boundaries and a solitary six.
Though Mendis missed out on his third Test ton, his efforts helped SL cross the 250-run mark inside 44 overs.
Here are further details.
Knock
A solid knock from Mendis
Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first.
Mendis arrived in the 16th over as openers Pathum Nissanka (43) and Dimuth Karunaratne (52) added 82 runs for the opening wicket.
The batter was watchful early on before shifting gears. He reached his fifty off 57 balls in the 37th over.
He eventually fell prey to Fareed Ahmad Malik in the 44th over.
Stats
Here are his career stats
Mendis has been a vital part of Sri Lanka's ODI team since his debut in the format in 2016.
He has now raced to 2743 runs in 97 games at an average of 31.17. His strike rate in the format reads 84.58.
The tally includes 21 fifties and two tons (Highest score: 119).
Against Afghanistan, he has 161 runs in seven ODIs at 26.83.
Stats
Sensational run of form in 2023
Mendis has been on a roll across formats in 2023.
He has raced to 874 runs in 19 international innings at 46, a tally that includes two tons and five fifties.
536 of these runs have come in Tests at 89.33.
In T20Is, he owns 211 runs at 35.16.
The remaining 127 runs have come in seven ODIs.
SL vs AFG
A do-or-die game for SL
Meanwhile, the Lankans are standing in a do-or-die match, having lost the opener by six wickets.
Mendis could only manage a 17-ball 11 in that contest.
The hosts have displayed a much better batting performance in the second game and would be raring to level the scores.
SL bowlers, who failed miserably in the opener, would be required to step up.