Kamindu Mendis hit a six off the last ball at the Waffadar Momand’s end, sparking celebrations for Afghanistan. In the final T20 match in Dambulla, Sri Lanka aimed for 210 runs but fell short with 206 runs. Afghanistan struggled in ODIs and had already lost the T20 series earlier. However, they found solace in the last match of this tour, making it an exciting contest. After eight consecutive losses in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan finally secured a win.
Had Sri Lanka won, they would have set a new record against themselves, as their highest chase was 194 runs (against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2018). Despite losing Kusal Mendis early in the powerplay, they had a decent start. However, when Pathum Nissanka got injured after scoring 60 runs off 30 balls, it disrupted their rhythm. Wanindu Hasaranga couldn’t stay long either. Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka were going well until Sarfaraz Ahmed’s dismissal replaced Kusal Mendis. Shanaka and Dasun’s partnership ended when Kayes Ahmed came in as a substitute for Sarfaraz. Kushal Mendis had to leave the field after taking Kushal Mendis’ catch. Shanaka and Dasun’s partnership yielded 17 runs in the 19th over, leaving 19 runs required in the last over. Kamindu scored two fours off the first three balls of Waffadar’s over. The next ball could have been a no-ball, but a high full-toss resulted in a catch, giving the advantage to Waffadar. Even though a wide was given, it didn’t change the outcome, securing Afghanistan’s victory.
Earlier, Afghanistan, opting to bat first, found a solid start with Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz scoring 88 runs off 44 balls in the opening partnership. They managed to score 209/5 in 20 overs. Despite losing Zazai in the eighth over, Gurbaz continued to score 45 runs off 22 balls until he was dismissed by Akila Dananjaya. Afghanistan lost momentum momentarily when Ibrahim Zadran scored 10 runs off 10 balls in the ninth over, and Wanindu Hasaranga took a catch off Dananjaya’s bowling, reducing them to 10 runs off 9 balls. Sri Lanka tightened the game further when Ibrahim Zadran was dismissed for 16 runs off 14 balls in the 14th over. However, Omair Zia and Mohammad Nabi’s 41-run partnership off 26 balls didn’t let Sri Lanka gain control. Omair’s 31 runs off 23 balls ended their innings undefeated. Even though Mohammad Ishak played a cameo of 16 runs off 8 balls, Afghanistan reached 209 runs, a score that Sri Lanka failed to chase.
Sri Lanka’s bowling and fielding were not up to the mark today. Despite taking two catches and conceding only 23 and 35 runs respectively, Dananjaya and Hasaranga couldn’t stop Afghanistan. Sri Lanka gave away 21 extras, including 11 wides.
Scores:
Afghanistan: 209/5 in 20 overs (Zazai 45, Gurbaz 70, Ibrahim 10, Omair 31*, Janat 0, Ishak 16*; Mathews 2-0-21-0, Tushara 4-0-48-0, Patirana 4-0-42-2, Dananjaya 4-0-37-2, Hasaranga 4-0-35-1, Shanaka 2-0-16-1)
Sri Lanka: 206/6 in 20 overs (Nissanka 60, K. Mendis 16, Perera 0, Hasaranga 13, Samarawickrama 23, K. Mendis 65*, Mathews 4, Shanaka 13, Dananjaya 4*; Waffadar 3-0-35-0, Omair Zia 4-0-42-0, Farid 2-0-30-0, Nabi 4-0-37-2, Kayes 2-0-17-1, Janat 1-0-9-0)
Result: Afghanistan won by 3 runs and clinched the series 2-1
Player of the Match: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
