Cricket News: Friday’s opening one-day international between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka ended with an emphatic 60-run victory for Afghanistan thanks to opener Ibrahim Zadran’s 106. After deciding to bat, Afghanistan scored 294-8 thanks to Ibrahim’s significant partnerships, including a 118-run second-wicket stand with Rahmat Shah (who scored 52), in Pallekele. The fast bowlers from Afghanistan, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Gulbadin Naib, combined for seven wickets as the tourists bowled Sri Lanka out for 234.
Afghanistan ended the Sri Lankan innings in 38 overs despite Pathum Nissanka’s 85 and Wanindu Hasaranga’s threatening 66.
But in the first-ever bilateral ODI series between the two nations, it was the batting that established the tone for Afghanistan’s dominance.
Najibullah Zadran’s 25-ball 42 and Ibrahim’s second ODI century bolstered the score, but some disciplined bowling in the last overs kept Afghanistan from surpassing 300.
Hasaranga’s stats of 2-42 in his 10 overs were remarkable.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s flurry of boundaries in his 53 helped the captain Hashmatullah Shahidi defend his choice to bat first.
Ibrahim joined the fray as the two combined for 84 runs to launch the batting assault.
Najibullah and Naib made cameo appearances and challenged the bowlers in the last overs, but Sri Lanka only scored 31 runs and claimed five wickets.
The hosts got off to a quick start, but they kept losing players, with Naib picking up two to upset the top-order.
Nissanka put up 47 runs with captain Dasun Shanaka, who was struck by Naib, to reach his fifty in 42 balls.
Farooqi denied Nissanka his ton, but Hasaranga quickly responded, stoking optimism for a change of fortune.
He raised his fifty in 31 balls by slamming Mohammad Nabi for six and four fours in a 31st over that yielded 22 runs.
Hasaranga was the final man out to Farooqi, who completed with figures of 4-49, as the wickets continued to tumble.
With vital Super League points on the line in the series, the defeat diminished Sri Lanka’s chances of securing direct qualification to the 50-over World Cup in India the following year.
On Sunday, the same location will host the second game.
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