Dominant Afghanistan hammer Sri Lanka in the 1st ODI: Stats
Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka by six wickets to win the first ODI at Hambantota. The Afghans were positive heading into this game and they bowled and batted with precision. The likes of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah made sure that the required rate was never out of hand for the visitors, who chased down the target of 268 inside 47 overs. Here's more.
Afghanistan's third ODI win over Sri Lanka
This is Afghanistan's third victory over Sri Lanka in eight ODIs. Before this, they had defeated the Lankan Lions only twice. SL still hold a slight edge over them with four wins. While one match ended inconclusively. Their last series in November 2022 ended in a 1-1 draw. That was the first time the Afghans travelled to play the Lankans on their home soil.
Asalanka's seventh ODI fifty
Charith Asalanka was the main orchestrator for the hosts as he slammed a very significant knock of 91 runs. His knock allowed SL to at least post 268. This was his seventh ODI fifty as he stitched a 99-run partnership with Dhananjaya de Silva. Courtesy of the knock, he completed 900 ODI runs in 25 ODI matches at an average of 40.90.
A valiant fifty from De Silva
Dhananjaya and Asalanka's innings were probably the only positive point for SL from this match. The duo batted with great responsibility after the hosts lost early wickets. They steadied the ship and had the platform set for a big finish. However, Dhananjaya got out at the wrong time. This was his ninth ODI fifty. He has compiled 1,457 runs in 67 ODIs at 26.49.
Ibrahim smokes his maiden ODI fifty
Ibrahim played a beautiful knock of 98 runs and fell agonizingly short of his fourth ODI century. He was the protagonist of this exceptional run-chase from the visitors. Zadran has completed 500 runs in only nine matches, which makes him the joint-second-fastest batter to reach the landmark in ODI cricket. He has a stellar record against SL, having smoked 376 runs at 94.
Rahmat Shah registers his 23rd ODI fifty
Afghanistan's leading run-scorer in ODIs, Rahmat Shah stitched a brilliant partnership with Ibrahim to lay the platform for the run-chase. During the process, he slammed his 23rd ODI fifty. Overall, he has tallied 3,138 runs in 89 ODIs at 38.26 (50s: 23, 100s: 5).
How did the bowlers fare in this match?
Afghanistan were tremendous with the ball even without their talismanic Rashid Khan. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad were brilliant upfront scalping two wickets each. While the likes of Noor Ahmad, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were also very solid with a wicket each. Kasun Rajitha (2), Lahiru Kumara and debutant Matheesha Pathirana were the only successful SL bowlers.
How did the match pan out?
Chasing 268, Afghanistan lost Ramanullah Gurbaz early. However, the likes of Ibrahim and Rahmat brought stability with a fine partnership of 146 runs for the second wicket. After Ibrahim's dismissal, Rahmat kept on going and added 40 runs along with Hasmatullah Shahidi. The latter also had a good 42-run stand with Nabi. Eventually, it was Najibullah Zadran, who struck the winning runs.
