Sri Lanka celebrate 10-wicket Test win against Afghanistan

Published

7 months ago

February 5, 2024

Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets with a day to spare in the one-off Test in Colombo on Monday with their opening batsmen chasing down an easy target of 56.

Afghanistan were bowled out for 296 in their second innings, setting Sri Lanka the low goal, with Dimuth Karunaratne (32 not out) and Nishan Madushka (22 not out) finishing the job within 7.2 overs.

Afghanistan were playing catch-up after conceding a lead of 241 runs in the first innings, but fought back well in their second dig with Ibrahim Zadran leading the way with a maiden Test hundred.

Rahmat Shah backed up the opening batter with a half-century but once the pair were dismissed, Afghanistan folded quickly.

Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva said Afghanistan did well on day two with the ball but his team stuck to their plan.

"When both Angelo (Mathews) and I got dismissed, it might not seem that bad but that was the point that Afghanistan felt they were back in the game," he said.

"I think that was the crucial moment of the match. But our bowlers stuck to the plan all day (day 3), not giving runs away and keeping it tight."

Prabath Jayasuriya finished with his seventh five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

"I'm really happy at the moment, the last couple of days were tough," said Jayasuriya, named man of the match.

"We knew this was a batting-friendly wicket, so we were just trying to do the basics right."

Afghanistan were looking good to stretch the game to the final day when they resumed on day four at 199 for one in their second innings.

'Lack of experience'

However, six wickets fell in the morning session for just 52 runs as the second new ball hurt the Afghans.

Seamer Kasun Rajitha dismissed overnight batsman Rahmat for 54 and then left-arm spinner Jayasuriya ran through the middle order as the new ball offered him bounce and turn.

Jayasuriya used his arm ball -- which goes straight on -- to good effect, foxing batsmen who were playing for turn.

Zadran, who had batted for more than six hours for his hundred, was confused by one such delivery, and was bowled through the gate.

Jayasuriya finished with five for 107, while seamers Asitha Fernando and Kasun Rajitha shared five wickets between them.

Jayasuriya ended the game with eight wickets, having taken three in the first innings.

Despite the loss, Afghanistan's fast bowlers were impressive, with Naveed Zadran picking up four wickets in Sri Lanka's first innings on his debut.

Hundreds by former captains Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal helped Sri Lanka to their first-innings total of 439.

The pair were involved in a record 232-run stand for the fourth wicket, the highest-scoring partnership at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club for that wicket.

Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said he was disappointed because they lost the game despite managing a "good comeback".

"I think it's the lack of experience in Test cricket and also not having a lot of opportunities to play red-ball cricket," Shahidi said.

"We're new in Test cricket and it's a learning process for us. I hope that we learn from this game."

The match was not part of the World Test Championship.

The teams will now move to Kandy for a three-match ODI series, followed by three T20 Internationals in Dambulla. - AFP

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Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Nabi also feature in an heavily experienced squad. However, injuries to a couple of known faces has paved a way for the addition of two young contenders.

Published

23 hours ago

September 13, 2024

Ariana News

Afghanistan have announced a 17-member squad for three-game ODI series against South Africa.

Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead Afghanistan in their historic bilateral ODI series against South Africa, while Rahmat Shah will be his deputy. The side also sees the return of Rashid Khan, who missed their previous ODI series against Ireland because of an injury.

Gulbadin Naib, and Mohammad Nabi also feature in an heavily experienced squad. However, injuries to a couple of known faces has paved a way for the addition of two young contenders.

Afghanistan will be without the services of Ibrahim Zadran, who was ruled out due to an ankle sprain, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is yet to recover from a right phalanx sprain. This opens up doors for Abdul Malik, the talented right-handed top-order batter who recently impressed in the domestic List A competition, and Darwish Rasooli, another top-order option with the experience of seven T20Is to his name.

Afghanistan Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Abdul Malik, Riaz Hassan, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Nangyal Kharoti, Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran and Farid Ahmad Malik.

“Hosting South Africa for the first time in our cricketing history is a huge milestone for Afghanistan Cricket," ACB CEO Mr. Naseeb Khan said. "They are a top-quality side, and playing against them in an ODI series is something we are all excited about.

"Our team has shown great performances in ICC events over the past two-three years, and we are focused on making our team equally competitive in bilateral cricket."

This ODI series will be the first meeting between Afghanistan and South Africa outside of ICC tournaments, with all three games set to be hosted by ACB at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The teams last met at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, where the Proteas overcame Afghanistan in the semi-finals with ease.

ODI Series Schedule:

Wednesday, 18 September

1st ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Friday, 20 September

2nd ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

Sunday, 22 September

3rd ODI, Sharjah Cricket Stadium, UAE

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Afghanistan v NZ test abandoned without a ball bowled

Afghanistan will play their first of the three-match ODI series against South Africa on Wednesday.

Published

1 day ago

September 13, 2024

Ariana News

Afghanistan's one-off test against New Zealand became just the eighth match in the format's history to be abandoned without a ball being bowled after rain washed out the fifth and final day in India's Greater Noida region on Friday.

The first ever test scheduled between the sides looked doomed from the start due to steady rain for over two weeks in the region. It was also the first test to be scheduled at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sport Complex near Delhi.

Afghanistan will play their first of the three-match ODI series against South Africa on Wednesday.

New Zealand will fly to Sri Lanka on Saturday for a two-test series in Galle from the same day.

Sport

Another day lost to rain in Afghanistan v NZ Test in India

Rain has lashed the region for the past two weeks and it was more of the same on Thursday when umpires called off play

Published

2 days ago

September 12, 2024

Ariana News

Afghanistan's one-off test against New Zealand risks being abandoned without a ball being bowled after play was called off for the fourth consecutive day due to rain in India's Greater Noida region.

Rain has lashed the region for the past two weeks and it was more of the same on Thursday when umpires called off play at the Shahid Vijay Singh Pathik Sport Complex.

With more rain forecast for the rest of the week, the contest looks likely to become just the eighth test to be abandoned without a ball being bowled, Reuters reported.

It is the first test to be played at the venue, which has hosted Afghanistan's 11 'home' limited-overs matches.

An Afghanistan Cricket Board official has said they preferred Greater Noida over two other venues in India because of its proximity to Delhi, which made traveling from Kabul easier.

Match referee Javagal Srinath's report to the International Cricket Council (ICC) will determine if the venue would incur any sanctions from the governing body.