Sri Lanka and Afghanistan participated in a close contest in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 that saw the former prevail eventually by four wickets, as Afghanistan missed a maiden World Cup match win. The match was a highly eventful one, leaving behind a number of memorable moments. Amit Banerjee recaptures the highlights of the match. SCORECARD: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match
Afghanistan missed out on what would have been their maiden World Cup triumph when they faced Sri Lanka in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool A match at the University Oval in Dunedin on Sunday. While they were bowled out for a total of 232, which can be seen as respectable given their minnow status, they held Sri Lanka by the collar for most part of the second innings.
Sri Lanka were reeling at a score of 51 for four, looking certain for an embarrassing collapse that would have merely extended their miseries in New Zealand, before batting legend Mahela Jayawardene came to the rescue of his side with a brilliant hundred. He was well-supported by Angelo Mathews, and all-rounder Thisara Perera helped guide Sri Lanka to a hard-fought four-wicket win against Afghanistan.
Following are some of the highlights from the cracker of a match:
1. Asghar Stanikzai- Samiullah Shenwari stand: Stanikzai and Shenwari added 88 runs for the third wicket in 105 balls, which helped guide Afghanistan to a position of strength from a couple of early dismissals. Stanikzai brought up his half-century during the stand, before his dismissal turned the course of the innings. SL vs AFG ICC World Cup 2015: Afghanistan lose 2 wickets for 40 runs
2. Sri Lankan bowlers fight back: The match saw Lasith Malinga return to form, even if it was against a lowly-ranked side. Malinga was reintroduced in the powerplay overs, with Afghanistan barely scoring 10 runs from the five overs, losing two wickets in the process. Malinga and skipper Angelo Mathews eventually finished on figures of three for 41, as the Afghans lost their last four wickets for 11 runs.
3. Lankans off to a horrendous start: The average Sri Lankan fan would never have thought in his/her wildest dreams of the kind of start that their team was off to. Openers Lahiru Thirimanne and Tillakaratne Dilshan were dismissed for golden ducks, courtesy the Zadrans (Shapoor and Dawlat). Kumar Sangakkara was bowled through the gate by a terrific inswinger by Hamid Hassan. Dimuth Karunaratne took Sri Lanka past 50, before becoming Hassan’s second victim.
Jayawardene was at his classic best once again as he milked the Afghan bowlers all over the park with ease. Jayawardene eventually brought up his century in 115 deliveries, his third in World Cups and 19th overall. Mathews played a mature innings on the other end, scoring 44 runs off 81 deliveries before getting run out.
5. Thisara Perera completes the formalities: After Mathews’ dismissal, Jayawardene did not waste much time in joining him back in the pavilion, getting caught by Nawroz Mangal off Hamid Hassan’s bowling to give the latter his third wicket of the match. At 183 for six, the Afghans seemed to have brought themselves back into the game, and both results were very much possible.
Perera however smashed the opposition bowlers to end unbeaten on a score of 47 off 26 deliveries, hitting six fours and a six during his stay at the crease, as Sri Lanka managed to pull off a victory after a long of twists and turns. There were a couple of close moments during the unbeaten 53-run stand between Perera and Jeevan Mendis, but Sri Lanka’s luck eventually saw them home.
(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle@akb287)
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