BRISBANE: Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by six wickets with 9 balls to spare in the T20 World Cup on Tuesday, jumping to 3rd Position in Group 1.
Afghanistan could not find the final flourish and were restricted to 144 for eight against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.
Having won the toss, Mohammed Nabi opted to bat first. On the first ball of the seventh over, Rahmanullah Gurbaz was cleaned-bowled by Lahiru Kumara for a sparkling 28 off 24 balls, including two huge sixes.
Gurbaz’s fellow opener Usman Ghani was next to go when he was caught on the mid-wicket boundary off Hasaranga, leaving Afghanistan 68-2.
Kumara picked up his second and Sri Lanka’s third when Ibrahim Zadran holed out to Bhanuka Rajapaksa for 22 with the score on 90 after 12.2 overs.
Sri Lanka chased down the target in 18.3 overs with Dhananjaya de Silva scoring 66 not out off 42 balls. For Sri Lanka, mystery spinner Wanindu Hasaranga was the stand out bowler with three wickets for 13 runs in four overs. Pacer Lahiru Kumara took two wickets for 30 runs in four overs.
AFGHANISTAN: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi
SRI LANKA: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha
