Sri Lankan bowlers delivered a superb bowling performance to restrict Afghanistan to 144/8 following Wanindu Hasaranga`s three-wicket haul at the Gabba in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Opting to bat first, the Afghan inning started cautiously with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Usman Ghani seeing off the new ball. Gurbaz sensed the need to score runs and took the initiative to attack the Sri Lankan bowlers.
Gurbaz danced down the wicket in the third over to launch a flat six off Kasun Rajitha. The batter continued to break free as he smashed another boundary in the next over with Ghai also sending one to the boundary. Two more boundaries followed in the next over to give the Afghan inning much-needed momentum. Afghanistan ended their powerplay for 42-0, registering a decent score in the first six over.
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Lahiru Kumara came back for his second over and got rid of Gurbaz just when the batter looked set for a big score. The batter was dismissed for 28(24). Ghani carried on his batting and struck a powerful six in the ninth over, above wide long-off to bring the third six of the Afghan inning. Afghanistan reached the halfway mark at 68-1, looking to explode with nine wickets still in hand.
Sri Lanka`s ace spinner Wanindu Hasaranga got rid of Ghani in the 11th over, bringing Najibullah Zadran to the crease. Ibrahim Zadran, who had been quiet till the 11th over, smashed a six and a four in the 12th over to take 17 runs from it. The batter was looking sharp but became the second victim of Kumara as he tried to clear the infield but just managed a miscue. Dhananjaya de Silva dismissed Najibullah in the 16th over for 18 runs off 16 balls to bring the captain to the crease.
Afghanistan could only manage 31 runs from the last four overs losing four wickets in a span of 24 balls. The team ended with 144/8 at the end of its 20 overs. Wanindu Hasaranga was once again the pick of the bowlers taking three wickets for the Sri Lankans.
Brief Score: Afghanistan 144/8 (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 28, Usman Ghani 27; Wanindu Hasaranga 3/13)
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