Player of the Match
Player of the Match

Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

S Samarawickrama
S Samarawickrama
51(42) 5x4 - 0x6
Control %73%
  • Productive Shot
  • cover drive
  • 14 runs
  • 2x4 - 0x6
5 6 12 6 8 2 1 11
AD Mathews
AD Mathews
42(22) 2x4 - 4x6
Control %86%
  • Productive Shot
  • pull
  • 19 runs
  • 0x4 - 3x6
4 1 6 0 0 8 17 6

Best performances - Bowlers

AD Mathews
AD Mathews
O2
M0
R9
W2
Eco4.50
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W
B Fernando
O2
M0
R18
W2
Eco9.00
RHB
OFFLEG
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 2-0

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

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

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar

END OF OVER:
17 | 5 Runs 2 Wkts | AFG: 115/10 (73 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 6.76, RRR: 24.33)

  • Noor Ahmad5 (9b)
  • Matheesha Pathirana3-0-22-2
  • Wanindu Hasaranga4-0-19-2

10:40pm Right. That will be all from us, folks. Hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we loved /bringing it to you. We will be back again in a couple of days' time when these teams clash in the third and final T20I. Until then, this is goodbye from me (Shashwat), Ranjith and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo. Take care!

Wanindu Hasaranga, Sri Lanka captain: (On the win) Credit goes to the batters. They batted really well. Openers did a good job. Sadeera and Mathews finished well to get to a big score. I trust our bowling line-up (to defend these scores). (On becoming the second-quickest to 100 T20I wickets) I have long to go. I trust my variations and I just want to do better. (On changes for the final T20I) I want to test our bench. We have four games left before the World Cup, so I want to have a look at them (those who missed out tonight) as well.

Ibrahim Zadran, Afghanistan captain: (On the decision at the toss) I am happy with the decision. We were good till 15 overs but then we gave away lots of runs. We could not execute our bowling plans. We could not execute with the bat either. The pitch was very good. (On their approach in the powerplay) We were trying to have a good start in the powerplay. After powerplay, you can't hit big sixes, so we were trying to make the most of it. No real difference in the pitches we played. It is all about the mind. If you do not execute your plans, you cannot win.

Angelo Mathews, Player of the Match: (On how he is feeling) Feeling pretty good. Had a tight hamstring after the last game. Decided to have a fitness test (earlier today) and it all went well. (On his role) Whatever the team wants me to do, I am willing to adapt myself according to the situation. I was struggling a little bit in the first 10-15 balls. Sadeera batted brilliantly as well. That was the plan, for him to bat 17-18 overs. My plan was to have a look and then go for it. His innings helped me a lot, knowing that he was holding one end up. (On the pitch and their bowling performance) It was a very good wicket. We had to bowl good lines and lengths. Our fielding was really good today. Special mention to the Dambulla crowd, they were right behind us. Thank you very much to Dambulla.

10:18pm A pretty one-sided contest and the writing was on the wall for Afghanistan after the powerplay, where they lost five wickets and their shot selection came under the scanner. Janat and Nabi sparkled but chasing 188, against a highly-skillled Sri Lankan attack, that was never going to be enough.

Speaking of Sri Lanka, everything they tried with the ball came off. Mathews set the game up with two early wickets. Theekshana then removed Gurbaz, with Binura's two-wicket fifth over firmly breaking the back of Afghanistan's run-chase. Hasaranga also wrote himself into the history books, becoming the second-fastest to 100 T20I wickets and ensuring that Sri Lanka finished off this game with the minimial of fuss.

16.6
W
Pathirana to Fazalhaq Farooqi, OUT, that will be that! Sri Lanka win by 72 runs and take an unassailable lead in this T20I series! Length delivery outside off. Farooqi, with his feet stuck to concrete, wafts at it. Does not get it anywhere near the middle and chips it to Shanaka at extra cover, who times his jump to perfection and makes no mistake!

Fazalhaq Farooqi c Shanaka b Pathirana 2 (3m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 66.66

16.5
2
Pathirana to Fazalhaq Farooqi, 2 runs, low full toss on leg stump. Farooqi gives himself room and hacks it towards deep square leg for a brace
16.4
0
Pathirana to Fazalhaq Farooqi, no run, full just outside off. Farooqi, while staying well leg side of the ball, hangs out his bat and squirts it away into the on side
16.4
1w
Pathirana to Fazalhaq Farooqi, 1 wide, another wayward delivery down leg. Some more exercise for the umpire
16.4
1w
Pathirana to Fazalhaq Farooqi, 1 wide, full toss darted down leg. Called a wide

Farooqi is the last batter in

16.3
W
Pathirana to Naveen-ul-Haq, OUT, no need for a review this time! Searing yorker that tails into leg stump very late. Naveen, more in hope than anything else, dangles his bat, only to see the ball whistle past the inside edge. Hears the death rattle soon after, and Sri Lanka are one wicket away from a convincing win!

Naveen-ul-Haq b Pathirana 5 (11m 9b 1x4 0x6) SR: 55.55

Afghanistan 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st6Hazratullah ZazaiIbrahim Zadran
2nd13Ibrahim ZadranRahmanullah Gurbaz
3rd11Gulbadin NaibRahmanullah Gurbaz
4th0Gulbadin NaibAzmatullah Omarzai
5th1Mohammad NabiAzmatullah Omarzai
6th39Mohammad NabiKarim Janat
7th30Najibullah ZadranKarim Janat
8th1Karim JanatNoor Ahmad
9th10Naveen-ul-HaqNoor Ahmad
10th4Fazalhaq FarooqiNoor Ahmad