21/02Result
3rd T20I (N), Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka at Dambulla, Feb 21 2024
Afghanistan won by 3 runs
Player of the Match
Rahmanullah GurbazAfghanistan
21/02Result
3rd T20I (N), Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka at Dambulla, Feb 21 2024
Afghanistan won by 3 runs
Player of the Match
Rahmanullah GurbazAfghanistan

END OF OVER:
20 | 17 Runs | AFG: 209/5 | RR: 10.45

  • Mohammad Ishaq16 (8b)
  • Mohammad Nabi16 (14b)
  • Nuwan Thushara4-0-48-0
  • Matheesha Pathirana4-0-42-2

8:36pm A brilliant batting effort and it has taken Afghanistan up to 209. Gurbaz and Zazai tore into Sri Lanka inside the powerplay, ransacking 72. Gurbaz stuck around after the powerplay and while boundaries were tougher to come by, he ran excellently between the wickets to keep the score ticking.

When Gurbaz was dismissed by Hasaranga, SL might have felt there was a window of opportunity, although that was slammed shut by Omarzai and Nabi, who combined for a 41-run stand. Nabi and Ishaq then applied the finishing touches, with 55 coming off the last five.

Not a great bowling and fielding display by Sri Lanka. They dropped catches, bowled too short and full at the start and then gave away a host of extras towards the end. Pathirana picked up two, as did Dananjaya but they will look back at this performance as one they would not want to repeat. They have the batting firepower to chase this down. At this stage, however, Afghanistan will be the happier of the two sides. Join us in a bit for the run-chase!

19.6
4
Thushara to Mohammad Ishaq, FOUR, four to end the innings too! Cutter bowled way outside off. Ishaq throws the plumbing at it and slices it over short third man. Afghanistan finish with 209!
19.5
6
Thushara to Mohammad Ishaq, SIX, beautiful! Goes for the yorker again but ends up bowling a full toss. Ishaq shuffles across his stumps and laps it clean over the fine leg fence!
19.4
2
Thushara to Mohammad Ishaq, 2 runs, perfectly-executed yorker that zeroes in on the pads. Ishaq digs it out towards long off and Nabi is alert enough to scamper back for the second
19.3
2
Thushara to Mohammad Ishaq, 2 runs, top yorker on leg stump. Ishaq gets his bat down in time and helps it behind square towards deep backward square leg
19.2
1
Thushara to Mohammad Nabi, 1 run, full delivery that follows the batter outside leg. Nabi swings at it and drills it on the bounce to long on
19.1
1
Thushara to Mohammad Ishaq, 1 run, pin-point yorker on off stump. Ishaq jams down on it and squeezes it out into the off side for a single
19.1
1w
Thushara to Mohammad Ishaq, 1 wide, darted down leg, and this time, Thushara is the guilty party. Gathered by Mendis, though, meaning that it is just a solitary extra

Thushara to bowl the final over. Afghanistan will be disappointed if they cannot breach the 200-run mark from here

END OF OVER:
19 | 10 Runs 2 Wkts | AFG: 192/5 | RR: 10.10

  • Mohammad Nabi15 (13b)
  • Mohammad Ishaq1 (3b)
  • Matheesha Pathirana4-0-42-2
  • Nuwan Thushara3-0-31-0
18.6
0
Pathirana to Mohammad Nabi, no run, slower ball on a length on off. Nabi seems to pick it late and can only pat it back to the bowler
18.5
1lb
Pathirana to Mohammad Ishaq, 1 leg bye, fired into the pads again. Ishaq is again late on the flick and trudges across to the other end as the ball rolls off his pads
18.5
4w
Pathirana to Mohammad Nabi, 4 wides, more extras for Afghanistan! Speared way down leg. Nabi does not get bat on it and Mendis, despite his best efforts, cannot stop it cleanly. Trickles off his glove and Afghanistan get four extras
18.4
1
Pathirana to Mohammad Ishaq, 1 run, full and wide outside off. Ishaq reaches out for it and drives it towards deep point
18.3
4lb
Pathirana to Mohammad Ishaq, 4 leg byes, another sizzling yorker but this slides just down leg. Ishaq seems to miss it and the ball brushes the pads before flying past the keeper. That tailed back in but it was always going down leg

Pathirana on a hat-trick. Ishaq, the debutant, to face the music

18.2
W
Pathirana to Karim Janat, OUT, two in two for Pathirana! 149kph heat-seeking missile that hones in on leg stump. Janat knows it is coming but cannot do anything about it. Makes an attempt to whip it away but in vain as the ball thuds into leg stump, via a slight deflection off the pads!

Karim Janat b Pathirana 0 (1m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

18.1
W
Pathirana to Azmatullah Omarzai, OUT, straight to backward point! Full and wide outside off. Omarzai throws the kitchen sink at it and gets decent contact. The only problem, though, is that he hits it aerially and too close to Perera at backward point, who takes a sharp catch in front of his face!

Azmatullah Omarzai c Perera b Pathirana 31 (33m 23b 3x4 0x6) SR: 134.78

Pathirana to bowl the penultimate over

END OF OVER:
18 | 11 Runs | AFG: 182/3 | RR: 10.11

  • Mohammad Nabi15 (12b)
  • Azmatullah Omarzai31 (22b)
  • Nuwan Thushara3-0-31-0
  • Matheesha Pathirana3-0-37-0
17.6
0
Thushara to Mohammad Nabi, no run, darted into the batter's pads again. Tails in late and that makes Nabi miss his flick. Goes through his legs and Mendis dives to his left to get something behind it
17.5
2
Thushara to Mohammad Nabi, 2 runs, sizzling yorker on leg stump. Nabi does well to get bat on it and nutmegs himself too. Mathews misfields at short fine leg and Nabi gets two for his toil
17.4
4
Thushara to Mohammad Nabi, FOUR, clean as a whistle! Slower ball that lands right in the slot on middle and off. Nabi picks it up early and smacks it over the bowler's head!
17.3
1
Thushara to Azmatullah Omarzai, 1 run, speared in full on leg stump. Omarzai digs it out towards long on
17.2
0
Thushara to Azmatullah Omarzai, no run, changes up his pace this time. Omarzai flashes hard at this shortish delivery outside off but fails to make contact
17.1
4
Thushara to Azmatullah Omarzai, FOUR, lovely! Back of a length on off. Omarzai gives himself ample room and peels the outer cover off the ball, scything it past backward point!

Right. Three overs left. How many can Afghanistan get from here? Can they get to 210? SL will be happy keeping Afghanistan down to anything under 200, given the position they are in. Thushara to bowl the 18th. He will likely bowl the 20th over from this end too

END OF OVER:
17 | 10 Runs | AFG: 171/3 | RR: 10.05

  • Mohammad Nabi9 (9b)
  • Azmatullah Omarzai26 (19b)
  • Matheesha Pathirana3-0-37-0
  • Wanindu Hasaranga4-0-35-1
16.6
2
Pathirana to Mohammad Nabi, 2 runs, hard length on off. Nabi stands tall and hacks it towards deep mid wicket. Kamindu, trying to prevent the second, comes racing in and misfields, giving up the second eventually
16.5
1
Pathirana to Azmatullah Omarzai, 1 run, cutter on a back of a length outside off. Omarzai taps it towards extra cover for a single
16.4
4
Pathirana to Azmatullah Omarzai, FOUR, shot! Full just outside off. Omarzai sits deep in his crease and opens the bat face at the last moment to knife it past extra cover for four!
16.3
2
Pathirana to Azmatullah Omarzai, 2 runs, cutter on a full length on leg stump. Omarzai backs away and flicks it uppishly towards deep backward square leg. Fell well short of the fielder, though

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Sri Lanka 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st64BKG MendisP Nissanka
2nd1MDKJ PereraP Nissanka
3rd18PW HasarangaP Nissanka
3rd10S SamarawickramaPW Hasaranga
4th53S SamarawickramaPHKD Mendis
5th5AD MathewsPHKD Mendis
6th36MD ShanakaPHKD Mendis
7th19A DananjayaPHKD Mendis