Afghanistan v http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 A – ICC World Twenty20 Warm-up Matches – Match Recap – Afghanistan win by 51 runs
Getting their http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 Twenty20 World Cup campaign started off on the right note, Afghanistan put forth and intense all-round performance, and claimed a comprehensive 51-run victory over Sri Lanka A during their warm-up match, played at the Moors Sports Club
Ground in Colombo, today on September 15.
Sri Lanka A won the toss and chose to field first, and while their bowlers managed some valiant performances – among them Nuwan Pradeep (4-0-43-3) and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kaushal-Samaraweera-Lokuarachchi-c70496 (4-0-16-3) – they were unable to contain the rampaging Afghan batsmen.
The innings got started on a shaky note, as Pradeep dismissed both opener http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Shahzad-c77324 (48) and Asghar
Stanikzai (50) joining forces for a colossal 109-run stand for the 3rd wicket.
Lokuarachchi intervened in the 11th over to send both batsmen packing, but Mohammad Nabi (51) and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shafiqullah-c2478 (26) who followed, did not allow the team’s momentum to flag, setting up a 30-run 5th-wicket stand. Lokuarachchi rounded up
his three-wicket haul with the dismissal of Shafiqullah in the 15th over, but Nabi powered on, establishing a 56-run stand with Gulbodin Naib (23).
Their combined contributions got the team total up to 195, after which Naib fell prey to Pradeep. Nabi was dismissed by Kosala Kulasekara in the final over, with the team posting a total of 209 by the end of 20 overs, at the expense of 7 wickets.
The Afghan team followed up their batting performance with an equally intense bowling attack, which saw all five of their bowlers managing to take at least one wicket each, while Dawlat Zadran starred with 3 for 22, and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Nabi-c77111 (4-0-30-2), Samiullah
Shenwari (3-0-28-2), and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Nasim-c77141 Baras (4-0-34-2) claimed two each.
The top order, comprising Shehan Jayasuriya (20), http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Nabi-c78373, and Jayasundera and
Lokuarachchi off Shenwari in the 6th over.
Kosala Kulasekara (who top-scored for the team with 63 off 38) and skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SHT-Kandamby-c2522 (11) remained the only other batsmen who managed to register double-digit scores, and their 34-run stand, followed by a 38-run partnership between Kulasekara and
wicketkeeper batsman http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mathurage-Don-Kushal-Janith-Perera-c75082 (7) got the team up to 129 by the 14th over.
The Sri Lanka A batsmen attempted to rally their innings, but the 17th over saw both Kulasekara and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Angelo-Kanishka-Perera-c44682 (6) dismissed by Dawlat Zadran, by which point the team was at 147 for 8. The departures of Pradeep (0) and Dushmantha Chameera (2)
proved to be the final nails in Sri Lanka A’s coffin, and they found themselves all out at 158 by the 19th over, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Afghanistan-c745 claiming an emphatic 51-run victory.
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