Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

Ibrahim Zadran
Ibrahim Zadran
67(55) 8x4 - 0x6
Control %72%
  • Productive Shot
  • cut shot
  • 14 runs
  • 3x4 - 0x6
2 1 4 5 15 9 10 21
PW Hasaranga
PW Hasaranga
67(32) 7x4 - 3x6
Control %75%
  • Productive Shot
  • cover drive
  • 11 runs
  • 2x4 - 0x6
10 1 0 11 12 6 13 14

Best performances - Bowlers

M Pathirana
O4
M0
R24
W4
Eco6.00
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
1W1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Fazalhaq Farooqi
O4
M0
R25
W3
Eco6.25
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
1W1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH

Match Details

Toss

Afghanistan , elected to field first

Player Of The Match

Series result

Sri Lanka led the 3-match series 1-0

Match number

Season

Hours of play (local time)

19.00 start, First Session 19.00-20.30, Interval 20.30-20.50, Second Session 20.50-22.10

Match days

17 February 2024 - night match (20-over match)

TV Umpires

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Scorer: Chetan Kumar | Commentator: @bose_abhimanyu

END OF OVER:
20 | 6 Runs | AFG: 156/9 (5 runs required, RR: 7.80)

  • Ibrahim Zadran67 (55b)
  • Fazalhaq Farooqi0 (0b)
  • Binura Fernando4-0-44-0
  • Matheesha Pathirana4-0-24-4

10.55pm That's all from Dambulla today. Some excellent individual performances. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will also both be happy with how they went about things in the field and between the wickets. Madushka Balasuriya's report will be up soon. For now, this is Abhimanyu signing off on behalf of our scorer Chetan Kumar and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo. Good night!

10.47pm Time for the presentation ceremony

Matheesha Pathirana is the player of the match! "Always wanted to win this match. Played so long after my debut in T20s. Don't know how to express my happiness. I bowled in these phases a lot of the time, in IPL also, so i have some experience. [The 19th over] My mind was just 'I want to win this match' so I tried whatever I could do and it worked."

Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga: "To be honest, we were 15-20 runs short but our bowlers did a great job. [On his knock] When their spinners come, I tried to do my basic things. We played with seven batters and one allrounder and I think batsmen should take more responsibility." Appreciates the sellout crowd at the stadium and requests them to keep turning up for the next two games.

Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran: "I don't like losing, but that's part of the game. We gave our best in the field but we will try to come back stronger in the next game. Yes 160 was a chaseable target. We had a good start in the powerplay. We gave them wickets in the middle, our batsmen didn't take the responsibility. I can give credit to Sri Lankan bowlers, the way they bowled. They turned the game away from us. [On his knock] To be honest, I am happy but not satisfied with that. I wanted to finish that game for my country. I want to finish more games. I will try to improve my batting and win these kind of games."

10.40pm So the first ever men's T20I at this ground was a thrilling affair, with the home side victorious in the end! Matheeha Pathirana and Wanindu Hasaranga are the two men they have to thank for that, largely, and of course Binura Fernando, who came back after being expensive in his first three overs to bowl a brilliant final over to Ibrahim Gurbaz while defending 11. The Afghanistan skipper stayed unbeaten till the end, scoring the exact number of runs as Sri Lanka's captain. Hasaranga's belligerent innings saw Sri Lanka get to 160, after they were in trouble at 55 for 1. They could have scored more if not for a late order collapse. But in the end, the bowlers did enough to deny Afghanistan a first win of this tour.

Brian: "After being 50 off 39, Ibrahim then makes 17 more off 16 balls through the last 6 overs.Strange to say it, but he lost that match for Afghanistan." That's harsh to say, but Ibrahim does need to work on his power-hitting game. You can't have a lull of six overs without a boundary as a team! But I am sure he will learn quickly, he is an excellent player.

TC: "I have been rightfully humbled. That was some excellent work by Binura Fernando in the final over. " Yup, he gave Ibrahim nothing to work with. Nailed those wide yorkers, and saw out those first four balls. Almost got a wicket too. No boundaries given away, it was very well bowled. Great of him to keep his composure despite being under the pump.

Akindu: "This has been a real captains game. Brillaint stuff from both zadran and wanindu"

19.6
4
Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, FOUR, Full outside off, Ibrahim drives it over cover for a boundary, but Sri Lanka win a thriller! Ibrahim's valiant effort in the end not enough, as Sri Lanka's bowlers eke out a four-run victory!
19.5
2
Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, 2 runs, Dropped at deep third! But it's not a boundary, so Afghanistan are left chasing nine off one! This is full around off, Ibrahim cleared his front leg and went for a big swing down the ground. Got a leading edge and deep third ran in to try and take it but couldn't hold on
19.4
0
Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, no run, Nails the wide yorker! Four dots on the trot! Fantastic stuff from Binura Fernando!
19.3
0
Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, no run, Full outside off, Ibrahim steers it fine on the off side but straight to deep third. Again, Ibrahim doesn't take the single!
19.2
0
Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, no run, Low full toss outside off, Ibrahim can't make contact. Another dot ball!
19.1
0
Fernando to Ibrahim Zadran, no run, Full outside off, Ibrahim drives it out to point. But they don't take the single!

Afghanistan need 11 runs to win. Sri Lanka need one wicket. 10 runs and it's a super over. Binura Fernando will bowl the last over! We have to wait as officials deal with the stumps that were left in a mess a few times by Pathirana in that last over!

TC: "Why on earth has Wanidu given the final over to Binura when he has been incredibly expensive the whole day, especially with Ibrahim Zadran on strike. Isn't Shanaka a better option?" Even I thought it would have been Shanaka!

Joe : "Good penultimate over by Pathirana" Good is an understatement!

SL FAN: "Pathirana breathing fire..."

Afghanistan 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st25Ibrahim ZadranRahmanullah Gurbaz
2nd43Gulbadin NaibIbrahim Zadran
3rd3Azmatullah OmarzaiIbrahim Zadran
4th14Mohammad NabiIbrahim Zadran
5th1Najibullah ZadranIbrahim Zadran
6th39Karim JanatIbrahim Zadran
7th12Qais AhmadIbrahim Zadran
8th11Ibrahim ZadranNoor Ahmad
9th2Naveen-ul-HaqIbrahim Zadran
10th6Ibrahim ZadranFazalhaq Farooqi