The 6th match of the U19 Tri-Series between Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh was played yesterday (28th March), with Sri Lanka going up against Afghanistan at Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi.
In a crucial match between the sides, the Afghan skipper Numan Shah won the toss and elected to bat first. However, the start his team got was not ideal as they lost their first wicket for just 25 runs. Their opening bat Hezbullah Dorani then played a steady innings of 39 runs before getting out while the score was 67 for 2.
From there on, it was all Afghanistan as their captain Numan Shah and right-hand batter Sohail Khan took charge of the innings and added a massive partnership of 151 runs, taking the team’s score to 218 for 3. Both batter showed great maturity and composure, playing sensibly and punishing any loose deliveries bowled by the opposition bowlers.
Numan Shah was in terrific form as he went onto get a brilliant hundred (116 runs off 109 balls), which included 13 fours and 3 sixes, while his partner Sohail Khan played a supporting role, scoring a valuable 52 runs. Haroon Khan also played a crucial role in the latter part of the innings, scoring a quick-fire 56 runs off just 41 balls and helped Afghanistan post a huge total of 323 for 7 at the end of 50 overs.
It was a hard day for the young Sri Lankan bowlers. Dinura Kalupahana (9.0-0-76-2), Vishva Lahiru (10.0-41-2) and Vishwa Rajapaksha (10.0-0-56-2) were able to pick 2 wickets each, which helped the Lankans to control the Afghan batters to a certain extent.
Fernando and Paranavithana guide Team Jaffna to victory
Chasing a target of 324, Sri Lanka got off to a worrying start losing 2 quick wickets for just 12 runs. The left-arm fast bowler Bashir Afghan proved to be a difficult opponent for them as he grabbed 3 wickets within the first 5 overs he bowled which put Sri Lanka in further trouble at 46-3. However, the Sri Lankan captain Shevon Daniel and Dinura Kalupahana (47) were able to form a solid partnership of 112 runs, which helped the team recover. Shevon’s impressive batting performance was the highlight of the innings as he scored 140 runs off just 115 balls. His innings consisted of 10 fours and 6 sixes.
After getting to 247-6 at the end of 40 overs, Sri Lankans needed another 77 runs from the final 10 overs of the match. With Shevon back in the dugout, the responsibility of getting the team over the line fell into the hands of the lower order batters. Despite losing wickets regularly, Sri Lanka was able to keep the run rate up and get closer to the target, with a crucial 44 run partnership for the 8th wicket between Vishwa Rajapakse (26) and Duvindu Rantunga (27). However, Vishwa’s dismissal in the 48th over with the score at 309-8 put pressure on Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka docked a point for slow over-rate
In the end, Duvindu was left to take the game to the final over, with Sri Lanka needing 6 runs off the last 6 deliveries with 2 wickets in hand. Unfortunately, the Lankan team was unable to handle the pressure and lost their final 2 wickets, getting all out for 319 runs in 49.3 overs, giving Afghanistan a narrow 4 run victory. Bashir Afghan was the star with the ball as he picked up 7 wickets and ended up with impressive figures of 10.0-0-37-7
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hezbullah Dorani | c Shevon Daniel b Dinura Kalupahana | 39 | 41 | 3 | 2 | 95.12 |
| Suliman Arabzai | lbw b Vishva Lahiru | 12 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 171.43 |
| Noman Shah | c Shevon Daniel b Vishwa Rajapakse | 116 | 109 | 13 | 3 | 106.42 |
| Sohail Khan | c Duvindu Ranathunga b Vishva Lahiru | 52 | 71 | 4 | 0 | 73.24 |
| Mohammad Haroon | c Vishen Halambage b Duvindu Ranatunga | 56 | 41 | 5 | 1 | 136.59 |
| Kamran Hotak | c Traveen Mathew b Dinura Kalupahana | 13 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 68.42 |
| Nasir Hassan | not out | 14 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 200.00 |
| Farhad Usmani | b Vishwa Rajapakse | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 140.00 |
| Khalid Taniwal | not out | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 12 (b 0 , lb 3 , nb 2, w 7, pen 0) |
| Total | 323/7 (50 Overs, RR: 6.46) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duvindu Ranathunga | 9 | 0 | 67 | 1 | 7.44 | |
| Dinura Kalupahana | 9 | 0 | 76 | 2 | 8.44 | |
| Vishva Lahiru | 10 | 0 | 41 | 2 | 4.10 | |
| Malsha Tharupathi | 5 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 7.60 | |
| Vishwa Rajapakse | 10 | 0 | 56 | 2 | 5.60 | |
| Traveen Mathew | 7 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 6.00 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sineth Jayawardena | lbw b Bashir Ahmad | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Hirun Kapurubandara | c Sohail Khan b Bashir Ahmad | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Shevon Daniel | c Noman Shah b Bashir Ahmad | 140 | 115 | 10 | 6 | 121.74 |
| Vishen Halambage | c Hezbullah Dorani b Bashir Ahmad | 14 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 73.68 |
| Dinura Kalupahana | c Bashir Ahmad b Nasir Hassan | 47 | 67 | 2 | 2 | 70.15 |
| Hiran Jayasundara | c Hezbullah Dorani b Bashir Ahmad | 17 | 31 | 1 | 0 | 54.84 |
| Malsha Tharupathi | c Hezbullah Dorani b Bashir Ahmad | 18 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 120.00 |
| Vishwa Rajapakse | c Farhad Usmani b Bashir Ahmad | 26 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 100.00 |
| Duvindu Ranatunga | b Kamran Hotak | 27 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 142.11 |
| Traveen Mathew | lbw b Kamran Hotak | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Vishva Lahiru | not out | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 26 (b 1 , lb 6 , nb 6, w 13, pen 0) |
| Total | 319/10 (49.3 Overs, RR: 6.44) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bashir Ahmad | 10 | 0 | 54 | 7 | 5.40 | |
| Khalil Ahmad | 10 | 0 | 71 | 0 | 7.10 | |
| Nasir Hassan | 8 | 0 | 75 | 1 | 9.38 | |
| Farhad Usmani | 10 | 0 | 58 | 0 | 5.80 | |
| Kamran Hotak | 8.3 | 0 | 37 | 2 | 4.46 | |
| Khalid Taniwal | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 5.67 | |
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BIG MATCH 2023
, with Sri Lanka going up against Afghanistan at Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi.){kind=link}