Samarawickrama, Mathews guide Sri Lanka to take series lead

By M. Shamil Amit report from Rangiri Dambulla

Dambulla, Feb 19 (Daily Mirror) - Sadeera Samarawickrama and Angelo Mathews together laid the foundation for a resounding 72-run win for Sri Lanka against Afghanistan in the second T20 played at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium yesterday which enabled the host side to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Afghanistan, in pursuit of 188 runs, were never going to be in the run chase as they put themselves in a spot of bother in the early part of the innings and were bowled out for a low score of 115 runs with Mathews, Binura Fernando, skipper Wanindu Hasaranga and  atheesha Pathirana who together shared eight wickets between them doing the damage.

Mathews for his splendid all-round performance was fittingly adjudged the player of the match.

Afghanistan’s run chase of 188 runs was going to be too much and the inauspicious start of losing their first wicket in the fifth ball of the first over was no doubt going to put them under pressure.

It was Mathews who did the early damage and by the end of the fifth over they were in dire straits having lost their top five wickets with just 31 runs on the board with Binura Fernando also responsible for their downfall.

Mohammad Nabi and Karim Janat put in some resistance but they were only able to share a brief stand of 39 runs for the sixth wicket before Dasun Shanaka separated them with the wicket of Nabi and at the halfway stage of the innings they were struggling on 70 for 6.

Janat joined by Najibullah Zadran added 30 runs for the seventh wicket and managed to post the side’s 100 runs on the board which came to an end as skipper Hasaranga dealt a double blow within the space of three balls with the wickets of Zadran and Janat which left Afghanistan struggling on 101 for 8 in the 14th over.

With Afghanistan left with the daunting task of making another 87 runs off 38 balls and only two wickets in hand, it was going to be a tall task.
First match hero Matheesha Pathirana, who went for 17 runs from his first two overs, came back with vengeance as he bagged the last two wickets in his third over to skittle the hapless Afghanistan side for score of 115 runs.

Earlier Sri Lanka, invited to take first lease of the wicket, were given a sound start by openers Pathum Nissanka and skipper Kusal Mendis who together put on 45 runs in 23 balls before being separated with the dismissal of Nissanka, who made 25 in 11 balls with five boundaries.

Mendis followed four runs later but made a useful contribution of 23 in 14 balls with four boundaries. Dhananjaya de Silva and Sadeera Samarawickrama shared a brief 37 run partnership in 33 balls before the former was dismissed having made a run-a-ball 14 and at the halfway stage of the innings Sri Lanka was on 86 for 3. It was followed with Samarawickrama and skipper Hasaranga posting Sri Lanka’s 100
runs on the board which came off 65 balls. (Pix: Kushan Pathiraja)