Afghanistan to take on Sri Lanka in 2nd of 3 T20Is Monday

Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will clash again in the second T20I match on Monday, 19 February, at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium in Dambulla and will be looking to secure a win after losing their first of three T20Is against Sri Lanka last week.

Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have clashed in 5 head to head T20I matches so far, of which Sri Lanka has won four and Afghanistan one.

Monday’s T20I is the second of three matches that make up Afghanistan’s tour to Sri Lanka. Already a one-off Test and three ODIs have been played.

The first T20I, on Saturday, saw Sri Lanka clinch victory by 4 runs.

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first, scoring 160 runs.

Wanindu Hasaranga was the standout performer with 67 runs, supported by partnerships with Sadeera Samarawickrama.

Fazalhaq Farooqi’s bowling shone with 3 wickets. The crucial moment came in the 14th over when Sri Lanka capitalized with 22 runs.

In the chase, Afghanistan started well but Ibrahim Zadran’s 67 runs weren’t enough as Matheesha Pathirana’s 4 wickets for 24 runs sealed the win for Sri Lanka by 4 runs.

Afghanistan showed resilience with boundaries in the 16th and 18th overs, but Sri Lanka’s timely wickets proved decisive in the end.

Wanindu Hasaranga batted well as Sri Lanka scored 160/10, before Matheesha Pathirana led with the ball as Afghanistan were restricted to 156/9 as Sri Lanka won by 4 runs.

Monday’s match meanwhile will be broadcast live on Ariana Television from 6pm.