Batting once again, Pathum Nissanka lit up the field. After setting a record double century in the first match, Sri Lankan opener now offered a century as a gift. Despite the anticipation of a century partnership in batting, Abhishek Fernando returned disappointed momentarily. Both batsmen whitewashed Afghanistan with their partnership.
On Wednesday (February 14) in Pallekele, Sri Lanka won the third and final ODI of the series by 7 wickets. They chased down Afghanistan’s 266 runs with 88 balls remaining. At the start, the welcome party had a run rate of over seven per over.
In the first ODI, after an unbeaten 210-run innings, Nissanka played a stunning innings of 118 runs today. His innings of 101 balls included 2 sixes and 16 fours. Such a performance not only made him the best player of the match but also earned him the Player of the Series award.
In this innings, Nissanka reached the fastest 2,000 runs milestone in ODIs for Sri Lanka. By reaching this mark in 52 innings, he broke the record set by Upul Tharanga, who is currently the chief selector of Sri Lanka.
Starting the innings, Abhishek Tantrum hit 5 sixes and scored 66 runs off 91 balls. With his 173-run partnership with Nissanka, the welcoming party gained a strong foothold towards victory. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 65, and Azmatullah Omarzai’s 54 runs contributed significantly to Afghanistan’s big total. However, they couldn’t go further as they lost wickets towards the end. Losing the last 6 wickets for just 43 runs, the team ended up with 266 runs.
Winning the toss and choosing to bat, Ibrahim Zadran quickly lost his wicket, but Rahman and Hashmatullah held the path with a 57-run partnership. After scoring 48 runs, Rahman was bowled, followed by Ikram Ali Khil, who was brought back into the one-day squad after 2021, by spinner Akila Dananjaya.
Then, Rahmanullah partnered with Azmatullah for a 58-run partnership in 59 balls. After scoring 57 runs, Rahmanullah left, and Ikrarimullah Khil took over briefly before being dismissed. Despite regular wicket losses after the 57-run partnership, they managed to score past 50. But that opportunity wasn’t given to Nissanka and Abhishek. From the start, Abhishek attacked the bowlers, while Nissanka played sensibly. Scoring 83 runs together, Sri Lanka took a lead. When the partnership ended at 57 runs, regular wicket losses followed, causing the visitors to stumble after scoring 43 runs for the last 6 wickets.
This run chase wasn’t bad at all. But it didn’t provide Nissanka and Abhishek the opportunity they deserved. Starting from a fiery batting, Abhishek lost his wicket to leg spin by Qais Ahmad in an extraordinary catch, which sent Sri Lankan opener back to the pavilion. Nissanka didn’t make that mistake, scoring a fifty in 55 balls. He continued cautiously, ending the fifth ODI with 89 runs in 202 balls.
During the crisis, Kusal Mendis walked out aggressively, hitting 4 sixes and scoring 40 runs in 29 balls. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka reached victory comfortably. Nissanka couldn’t finish it off himself. The match ended in the next over after his brilliant innings.
Scores:
Afghanistan: 266 all out in 50 overs (Gurbaz 48, Ibrahim 13, Rahman 65, Shahidi 5, Omarzai 54, Ikram 32, Nabi 14, Ashraf 4, Qais 11, Farid 5, Farooqi 0*; Madushanka 6-0-52-0, Madushan 8.2-0-45-3, Asitha 9-0-44-2, Welegedara 10-0-38-2, Liyanage 2-0-11-0, Dananjaya 10-0-54-2, Asalanka 3-0-17-0)
Sri Lanka: 267/3 in 35.2 overs (Nissanka 118, Abhishek 91, Mendis 40, Samarawickrama 8*, Asalanka 7*; Farooqi 5-0-54-0, Omarzai 4-0-29-0, Ashraf 6-0-47-0, Farid 4-0-45-0, Nabi 9.2-0-46-1, Qais 7-0-46-2)
Result: Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match: Pathum Nissanka
Series: Sri Lanka won the 3-match series 3-0
Player of the Series: Pathum Nissanka
