Kolkata: The experienced Tillakaratne Dilshan overshadowed Afghanistan’s Ashghar Stanikzai’s brilliant captain’s knock to give Sri Lanka a six-wicket victory with seven balls to spare at the Eden Gardens. Stankzai, through his spectacular 62 off 47 balls with three boundaries and four sixes had helped Afghanistan post a challenging 153 for 7 in 20 overs.
Dilshan shattered Afghanistan’s plans of pulling off a shock win through his stupendous unbeaten 83 runs off 56 balls with eight boundaries and three sixes.
Afghanistan could have done it had their bowlers known how to contain a batsman like Dilshan and Angelo Mathews (21n.o) in the closing stages of the game. The pair put on 28 runs in three overs to ensure the victory. Club level fielding by some of the Afghanistan fielders, gifting away boundaries at crucial stages of the game, too made it easy for Sri Lanka.
Though Afghanistan lost, they walked off after posting the second-highest total by an associate country against a full member after Netherlands’ 163 for 6 against England at Lords in 2009.
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat. Their aggressive opener Mohammad Shehzad and Noor Ali Zadran began slowly. It was the teams’ first Twenty20 encounter against each other. The fact that Sri Lanka’s deadly pacer Lasith Malinga is yet to recover from his knee injury came as a relief to Afghanistan.
In the third over, Sri Lankan skipper Shehzad played a pull shot at Angelo Mathews but top edged to Dushmantha Chameera at mid-on for 8. Zadran hit Nuwan Kulasekara for two consecutive boundaries to ease the pressure of an early wicket. In the fifth over, Zadran also beautifully hit Mathews to backward square leg boundary.
Stanikzai picked his first boundary in the seventh over hitting spinner Rangana Herath to mid-wicket. The pair put on 32 runs in 5.2 overs before Herath clean bowled Zadran for 20. Zadran went for a sweep and missed the ball and the accurate Herath hit the leg stump.
Next man Karim Sadiq lasted just seven balls and was out for a duck. He went for a slog even before settling down and was caught behind by wicket keeper Dinesh Chandimal off medium pacer Thisara Perera.
In the first 10 overs, Afghanistan could only muster 43 runs and lost three wickets. Much was expected of Mohammad Nabi but he too lasted just four balls to score three runs before he was trapped leg before by Herath.
Samiullah Shenwari joined his skipper Stanikzai and began by hitting Thisara Perera past point for a boundary. Stanikzai opened out in the 13th over and hit two sixes off left-arm spinner Milinda Siriwardana. The first six went over mid-wicket and the second was hit over the bowler’s head. Stanikzai also hit Herath for a six in the 15th over. This six could have ended his innings but Thirimanne at the mid-wicket boundary could not hold on to the ball and parried it over for a six. In the same over, Stanikzai brilliantly swept Herath for another six. The pair put on 50 runs in just 29 balls.
When Shenwari hit Perera for two consecutive boundaries, Afghanistan looked like setting up a huge score. But when Shenwari, who hit Kulasekara for a six to mid-wicket, attempted to get another over long-off from the next ball, he was caught. This ended the 61 runs partnership off 6.3 overs.
Stanikzai reached his 50 in 42 with two boundaries three sixes in the 18th over. Mathews had dropped him at 44 in the cover region off Kulasekara.
In the 19th over Stanikzai picked his fourth six smashing Perera over long on but finally fell at 62, caught behind in the same over.
Chasing the total, Sri Lanka began briskly with Dinesh Chandimal and experienced Dilshan opening out right away. Dilshan hit Dawlat Zadran for two consecutive sixes in the third over and Hamid Hassan for two consecutive boundaries. At the score on 41, off-spinner Nabi, had Chandimal caught by Shafiqullah at mid-wicket for 18.
Next man Lahiru Thirimanne misread leg-spinner Rashid Khan to inside edge for 6. In the first 10 overs Sri Lanka were 71 for 2, needing 83 more runs in the last 60 balls. Thisara Perera followed quickly, run out for 12 off a direct hit from agile wicket-keeper Shehzad. Dilshan reached his half century in 37 balls with four boundaries and two sixes.
In the last five overs, Sri Lanka needed 41 runs in the 30 but Chamara Kapugedera got run out with bowler Nabi deflecting a Dilshan straight drive on to the wicket. Next man Mathews and Dilshan safely steered their team to the target with seven balls to spare.
Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Scoreboard
Afghanistan
Mohammad Shahzad c Chameera b Mathews 8
Noor Ali Zadran b Herath 20
Asghar Stanikzai c Chandimal b Perera 62
Karim Sadiq c Chandimal b Perera 0
Mohammad Nabi lbw b Herath 3
Samiullah Shenwari c Perera b Kulasekara 31
Shafiqullah c Lahiru b Perera 5
Dawlat Zadran not out 5
Najibullah Zadran not out 12
Extras: (1lb, 6w) 7
TOTAL: (for 7 wickets) 153
Overs: 20
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-44, 3-46, 4-51, 5-112, 6-132, 7-136.
Did not bat: Rashid Khan,Hamid Hassan.
Bowling: Angelo Mathews 3-0-17-1 (2w), Nuwan Kulasekara 4-0-43-1 (1w), Dushmantha Chameera 4-0-19-0 (2w), Rangana Herath 4-0-24-2 (1w), Thisara Perera 4-0-33-3, Milinnda Siriwardana 1-0-16-0.
Sri Lanka
Dinesh Chandimal c Samiullah b Nabi 18
Tillakaratne Dilshan not out 83
Lahiru Thirimanne b Rashid Khan 6
Thisara Perera run out 12
Chamara Kapugedera run out 10
Angelo Mathews not out 21
Extras: (4b, 1w) 5
TOTAL: (for 4 wickets) 155
Overs: 18.5
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-58, 3-85, 4-113.
Did not bat: Milinda Siriwardana, Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dushmantha Chameera.
Bowling: Karim Sadiq 2-0-21-0, Hamid Hassan 3.5-0-38-0, Dawlat Zadran 3-0-31-0 (1w), Mohammad Nabi 4-1-25-1, Rashid Khan 4-0-27-1, Samiullah Shenwari 2-0-9-0.
Result: Sri Lanka won by six wickets.
Toss: Afghanistan.
Umpires: Bruce Oxenford, Australia, and Joel Wilson, West Indies.
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough, England. Match referee: Chris Broad, England.
