Sri Lanka take winning 2-0 lead in ODI series

Charith Asalanka top scored with 97* 

Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama shared a century partnership for the third wicket

Wanindu Hasaranga weaved his magic to cause an Afghanistan collapse

Janith Liyanage sweeps on his way to a half-century  

• Total capitulation by Afghanistan loses 8 wickets for 10 runs

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq 

Total capitulation. Call it whatever you like. Afghanistan, the team that threatened to win a game from nowhere in the first ODI, suffered one of the worst batting collapses in ODI history losing eight wickets for 10 runs to concede the second ODI to Sri Lanka by 155 runs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium yesterday. The win meant that Sri Lanka took a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Chasing a target of 309, Afghanistan showed the resistance they are renowned for when they reached 143-2 in 29 overs courtesy a second wicket stand of 97 between Ibrahim Zadran (54 off 76 balls, 6 fours) and Rahmat Shah (63 off 69 balls, 7 fours). But once the stand was broken and both set batters were dismissed 15 runs off each other, the rest of the Afghanistan batting simply folded up like a pack of cards as they lost their remaining eight wickets for a mere 10 runs to be all out for 153 off 33.5 overs.

Apart from the two half-centurions none of the other nine batsmen got into double figures as leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga weaved his magical wand to wade through the Afghanistan batting and finish with figures of 4/27 off 6.5 overs, proving once again how deadly a finisher he can be to wrap up an innings within a blink of an eyelid. He did the same to Zimbabwe in the third ODI as well as the third T20I.

Seamers Asitha Fernando (2/23) who replaced the injured Dushmantha Chameera in the squad and Dilshan Madushanka (2/28) were not far behind hitting the required lines and lengths to pin the Afghanistan run rate down so that when the wickets started to tumble there was no outlet for escape. 

It was an astonishing collapse by Afghanistan who only two days ago had put up staunch resistance with a record sixth wicket partnership of 242 and posed a threat to Sri Lanka’s score of 381-3 by replying with 339-6.

Sri Lanka winning the toss and opting to bat first made their second successive 300 plus total largely through four half-centuries from the middle order batters. Kusal Mendis (61 off 65 balls, 7 fours, 1 six) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (52 off 61 balls, 3 fours) stitched together a stand of 103 for the third wicket after Afghanistan’s new ball bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai had sent back the two heavy scorers for Sri Lanka in the first ODI – Pathum Nissanka for 18 and Avishka Fernando for five.

Afghanistan hit back by dismissing Samarawickrama and Mendis off consecutive overs, but it only set the stage for Player of the Match Charith Asalanka to take over and through two admirable partnerships first, 111 with Janith Liyanage (50 off 48 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes) and then 50 off 32 balls with Hasaranga (14) took Sri Lanka past the 300-run mark.

Asalanka batted skilfully hitting the gaps and picking up the loose deliveries and dispatching it to the boundary with flair. A century beckoned him, but he fell agonizingly short by three runs when the overs ran out leaving him unbeaten on 97 scored off 74 balls (9 fours, 2 sixes).  

Shoddy fielding by Afghanistan didn’t help their cause with at least five chances going begging. The most unfortunate bowler to suffer from those lapses was Fazalhaq Farooqi whose figures of 1/55 did not do justice to how well he bowled. Omarzai was impressive with figures of 3/56 less than 48 hours after completing his maiden ODI hundred and his partner in that record stand Mohammad Nabi bowled a miserly 10 overs for 38 runs. The third and final ODI will take place at the same venue on Wednesday.