Pathum Nissanka’s remarkable double century was the key factor that enabled Sri Lanka to overcome a vigorous comeback from Afghanistan, leading to a 42-run win in the first ODI at Pallekele. This significant victory gave Sri Lanka an early 1-0 advantage in the three-match series.Sri Lanka 381 for 3 (Nissanka 210*, Avishka 88, Fareed 2-79) beat Afghanistan 339 for 6 (Omarzai 149, Nabi 136, Madushan 4-75) by 42 runs.
Match summary :
This left them pondering what could have been if the top order had made more significant contributions. Chasing a daunting 382-run target set by Sri Lanka, many struggled to get off to a quick start.
Pramod Madushan was particularly effective, dismissing three of Afghanistan’s top four batsmen early in the game, within the first powerplay. He skillfully bowled right-handed Rahmanullah Gurbaz and left-handed Hashmatullah Shahidi with in-duckers, demonstrating his ability to move the ball both ways, either in the air or off the pitch.He also caught Ibrahim Zadran at slip and later broke the partnership between Nabi and Omarzai, ending the game with impressive figures of 4 for 75.
Dushmantha Chameera contributed to the pressure by taking out Rahmat Shah and Gulbadin Naib, leaving Afghanistan in a difficult position at 55 for 5 by the ninth over’s midpoint.However, it was then that Omarzai and Nabi began their counterattack, deciding to stretch the game as far as they could.With limited batting options left, they were cautious not to take unnecessary risks, yet they managed to find the boundaries to keep the run rate manageable. It wasn’t until the 36th over that they accelerated, pushing the scoring rate above six an over, even as the required rate soared to 12 an over.By the 40th over, they needed 137 runs from the last 60 balls, a challenging task. This was highlighted by Sri Lanka’s own burst of scoring 120 runs during the same stage earlier.Ultimately, the steep asking rate proved insurmountable, particularly with Sri Lanka’s bowlers having plenty of overs left to control the game’s outcome.
