Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

Rahmanullah Gurbaz
70(43) 7x4 - 1x6
Control %72%
  • Productive Shot
  • on drive
  • 16 runs
  • 1x4 - 1x6
1 6 9 11 2 3 26 12
PHKD Mendis
65(39) 7x4 - 2x6
Control %64%
  • Productive Shot
  • pull
  • 12 runs
  • 1x4 - 1x6
19 2 5 5 14 10 5 5

Best performances - Bowlers

Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi
O4
M0
R35
W2
Eco8.75
RHB
OFFLEG
1W1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
A Dananjaya
O4
M0
R37
W2
Eco9.25
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W

Match Details

Toss

Afghanistan , elected to bat first

Player Of The Match

Player Of The Series

Series result

Sri Lanka won the 3-match series 2-1

Match number

Season

Hours of play (local time)

19.00 start, First Session 19.00-20.30, Interval 20.30-20.50, Second Session 20.50-22.10

Match days

21 February 2024 - night match (20-over match)

T20I debut

Afghanistan replacement

Qais Ahmad for Sharafuddin Ashraf (Sri Lanka innings, 7.2 ov)

Reserve Umpire

Match Referee

Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: Shashwat Kumar

END OF OVER:
20 | 15 Runs | SL: 206/6 (4 runs required, RR: 10.30)

  • Kamindu Mendis65 (39b)
  • Akila Dananjaya4 (1b)
  • Wafadar Momand3-0-35-0
  • Azmatullah Omarzai4-0-42-0

11:05pm Sri Lanka are all smiles as they pose with the winner's trophy. That also brings us to the end of our coverage for this game and the series. Hope you enjoyed it just as much as we loved bringing it to you. Until next time, this is goodbye from me (Shashwat), Ranjith and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo. Take care, folks!

Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lanka captain is also the Player of the Series: We played good cricket in the first two games. Credit goes to our bowlers and the batters. (On the players who came in today) We just wanted to see how they perform and that is why we made four changes.

Ibrahim Zadran, Afghanistan captain: I am happy with the win. Unfortunately, we lost the series. Feeling great after the game today. (On the score) It was a good total we put up on the board. Hazrat and Gurbaz gave us good momentum and we wanted to carry it through. (On the changes they made) We wanted to give chances to the players who did not play. We are going to the T20 World Cup and we wanted to try out players. If you look at the first game, we played well but could not win, and we won today. We have lots of positives to take (from this series) and take it into the T20 World Cup.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Player of the Match: (How pleasing was his innings today) To be honest, it was (quite pleasing). It was a really hard time for me, I had not scored (before in the series). I was under pressure but I tried to go in today and play my natural game. I took responsibility and I think that was the reason. (On what he prefers - chasing or batting first) I don't mind. Whenever I have a good day, I can chase and set a total. I hope we learn from the mistakes we did here and I hope we don't repeat it moving forward.

It's time for the presentation ceremony.

10:40pm Phew, what a game of cricket that was. And, rather ironically, it might be remembered for the number of wides Sri Lanka bowled, and the one No ball that Afghanistan got away with in the final over.

Coming back to the run-chase, Sri Lanka began like a house on fire, with Nissanka setting the tone. Mendis and Perera fell around him but he kept at it. In fact, it was not until he tweaked his hamstring that Sri Lanka began losing grip of the chase. A middle-order wobble was arrested by Samarawickrama and Mendis, although the former departed just when Sri Lanka needed him to up the ante further.

Mendis, to his credit, kept Sri Lanka afloat, receving fleeting moments of support from Shanaka and Dananjaya (given he finished with four off one ball). It all came down to the last over, and Mendis just could not find the fence enough number of times to take Sri Lanka past the finish line.

As for Afghanistan, Nabi was the pick of their bowlers again. He gave away 35 runs and accounted for Hasaranga and Mathews. Noor was not bad either, and Qais, coming in as a concussion sub, played his part, getting rid of Samarawickrama. Afghanistan did drop a couple of chances but on this particular occasion, it did not come back to haunt them.

19.6
6
Wafadar Momand to PHKD Mendis, SIX, six to finish off, but it is not enough for Sri Lanka to win! Half-tracker outside off. Mendis picks up the length in a flash and dumps it over deep mid wicket. Afghanistan win by three runs, and end their tour on a high!

One legal delivery, and Afghanistan will be home

19.5
0
Wafadar Momand to PHKD Mendis, no run, right in the slot just outside off. Mendis sits deep in his crease and heaves it towards deep backward square leg

10 off 2. Afghanistan, remember, got 10 off the last two balls of their innings

19.5
1w
Wafadar Momand to PHKD Mendis, 1 wide, banged in short on leg stump. Pitches and balloons way over the batter's head. Called a wide this time
19.4
0
Wafadar Momand to PHKD Mendis, no run, oh my! A very high full toss on middle and off. Takes Mendis by surprise and he swings at it in vain. Everyone looks at the square leg umpire immediately but he is unmoved. That looked high to the naked eye, and replays confirm it was way above the waist. Almost a chest-high full toss. Mendis did take a step down the track but that was still too high. Afghanistan have gotten away with one here

11 off 3. Another boundary here, and Afghanistan will really feel the pinch. Short fine leg moves finer

19.3
4
Wafadar Momand to PHKD Mendis, FOUR, four more, Mendis you beauty! Slower ball on a length on middle and leg. Mendis unfurls the scoop for the umpeenth time and nails it past short fine leg!
19.2
0
Wafadar Momand to PHKD Mendis, no run, low full toss just outside leg. Mendis swipes across the line and misses. Gets pinged on the back leg but surely the impact was outside leg? Afghanistan have reviewed nonetheless. More in hope, I suspect. Nothing on UltraEdge but as expected, the impact was outside leg. Mendis survives but it is a dot ball!

15 off 5

Sri Lanka 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st64BKG MendisP Nissanka
2nd1MDKJ PereraP Nissanka
3rd18PW HasarangaP Nissanka
3rd10S SamarawickramaPW Hasaranga
4th53S SamarawickramaPHKD Mendis
5th5AD MathewsPHKD Mendis
6th36MD ShanakaPHKD Mendis
7th19A DananjayaPHKD Mendis