The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That was a thoroughly one-sided contest and Sri Lanka levelled the series 1-1. Lots of cricketing action lined up later today and tomorrow. Keep following Sportskeeda for all the latest sporting actions. For now, this is myself (Arya Sekhar Chakraborty) signing off also on behalf of my fellow commentator and good mate Pradeep. Cheers!
Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka captain): To be honest our approach was the same. Playing with positive intent is our main goal. The wicket looked better today, the ball wasn’t swinging and was coming onto the bat nicely. We came out with the intent to score big today. Toss is important as well, end of the day we need to trust our performance and skills if we are going to win or not. Of course see we haven’t played in this kind of pitches earlier. We generally prepare turning tracks, here it was different so credit must go to the curator. Our batters batted brilliantly and Wanindu finished it off well. Chameera is bowling with intent and has got the right skills to play white-ball cricket. The experience we should always have in the team. It’s upto the selectors, coach and on me to decide on the team but we are yet to come to a decision.
Hashmatullah Shahid (Afghanistan captain): I think the main point was fielding and the last 10 overs we bowled. Yeah it happens sometimes. Everyone trying his best, it doesn't go according to the plan always. I think I don't care about the stats, our batting department is improving with each game. I think the pitch wasn’t too difficult in the 2nd innings as well. Those 40 extra runs from Sri Lanka cost us the game. Rashid will be back next game and we will try to come back strong.
Dhananjaya de Silva (Player of the Match): Yes definitely. Last few series also I was batting up the order and bowling all 10 overs. I am enjoying the new role. I was, my role is about Wanindu and Maheesh bowling the dot balls and keeping them under pressure. It’s getting slower and slower and this game it was quite slow.
Sri Lanka won by 132 runs
Sri Lanka 323/6 in 50 overs
Kusal Mendis 78(75) | Dimuth Karunaratne 52(62) Mohammad Nabi 2/52(2) | Fareed Malik 2/61(10)
Afghanistan 191 all-out in 42.1 overs
Hashmatullah Shahidi 57(62) | Ibrahim Zadran 54(75) Dhananjaya de Silva 3/39(10) | Wanindu Hasaranga 3/42(9)
Sri Lanka stormed back into the 3-match series against Afghanistan by thrashing them by 132 runs in the 2nd ODI at Hambantota. After an ordinary display in the first match, Sri Lanka put those to bed and dominated Afghanistan right from ball one. After posting 323 on the board, the Afghanistan batters failed to get any sort of flow to the innings and lacked the boundary-scoring intent.
There was a time when they had to take on the bowlers and eventually perished in the deep. When they needed the boundaries, wickets kept falling in clusters as they were eventually bowled out in the 43rd over for just 191 runs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz departed early of the bowling of Dushmantha Chameera but from there on the likes of Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran resurrected the chase with a sensible stand.
The boundaries weren't coming which kept on putting pressure on Afghanistan and eventually, it was Dasun Shanaka who provided the much-needed breakthrough. Ibrahim was joined by Hashmatullah Shahid as the duo batted sensibly and tried to take the match deep. Both struck half-centuries but the runs didn't come at the rate they would have wanted.
With the required rate climbing steadily, both batters were dismissed in an attempt to play the big shots. Wanindu Hasaranga, Theekshana and Dhananjaya de Silva bowled brilliantly in the middle overs and bagged 7 wickets between them. Hasaranga was right on the money and made the ball talk. He was the pick of the wicket-takers with 3 wickets to his name while de Silva also bagged 3. While Chameera chipped in with couple, Theekshana and Shanaka bagged a wicket each.
42.1 Maheesh Theekshana to Azmatullah Omarzai, OUT! IT'S ALL OVER! UP IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Sri Lanka storm back to square the series here, 1-1! Length delivery on the off-stump, Omarzai swings but has skied it straight up in the air and the long-off fielder holds on to a sitter. It's all to play for on Wednesday!
Another over ticks by and we are very near to the end of this clash. Hasaranga with another successful over as he breached through the defence of Farid Malik with a brilliant wrong un.
42
overs
191/9score
0
W
0
0
0
0
runs
Fazalhaq Farooqi*
0(4)
Azmatullah Omarzai
28(30)
Wanindu Hasaranga
3/42
41.6 Wanindu Hasaranga to Fazalhaq Farooqi, length delivery that skids on the fourth stump, Farooqi on the backfoot looks to block but gets the inside edge into the on-side.
41.5 Wanindu Hasaranga to Fazalhaq Farooqi, loopy full delivery on the off-stump, Farooqi gets forward to smother.
41.4 Wanindu Hasaranga to Fazalhaq Farooqi, short on the stumps, wicket to wicket. Farooqi right behind the line to defend it back to the bowler.
41.3 Wanindu Hasaranga to Fazalhaq Farooqi, short and turned sharply on the off-stump. Farooqi went back to defend it back to the bowler
Fazalhaq Farooqi, RHB comes out to the crease.
41.2 Wanindu Hasaranga to Fareed Ahmad Malik, OUT! CLEANED HIM UP! Hasaranga is running through Afghanistan batting line-up here. Length delivery, turned sharply back in and Fareed leans, but leaves big gap between bat and pad, sneaks through the gates to crash into the stumps.
Farid Malik b Wanindu Hasaranga 0 (5b, 0x4, 0x6)
41.1 Wanindu Hasaranga to Fareed Ahmad Malik, length delivery, turning in on the off-stump. Fareed went back to defend it to the bowler.
Round the wicket comes Hasaranga. A slip in place for him.
Theekshana with a good tidy over but Omarzai still managed to smash him for a boundary before he adjusted his lengths, keeps bowling flatter and Omarzai couldn't quite take the single he wanted on the final delivery of the over.
41
overs
191/8score
0
4
0
0
0
0
runs
Azmatullah Omarzai*
28(30)
Fareed Malik
0(3)
Maheesh Theekshana
0/35
40.6 Maheesh Theekshana to Azmatullah Omarzai, pulls the length back on the stumps, Omarzai whips it away but straight to short mid-wicket fielder
40.5 Maheesh Theekshana to Azmatullah Omarzai, length delivery on the stumps, Omarzai presses to defend it back to the bowler.