Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan: Matheesha Pathriana Gets Maiden ODI Wicket as SL Look to Prepare for ICC ODI World Cup

At the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan faced off in the first of three matches, with the latter looking to make the most of their preparation opportunity ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup later this year in India.

SL Post Competitive Total Thanks to Charith Asalanka’s 91

The Sri Lankan team, led by Dasun Shanaka, posted a competitive total of ____, largely thanks to Charith Asalanka’s 91. The pitch was tricky, but the SL batsmen managed to navigate it with relative ease.

Matheesha Pathriana Gets Maiden ODI Wicket

Pacer Matheesha Pathriana, making his ODI debut, got his maiden wicket when he got rid of the well-set Rahmat Shah, giving SL a breakthrough. However, Afghanistan is still ahead with less than 4.5 runs needed per over.

Afghanistan’s Playing XI

The Afghan team, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, had an impressive playing XI, which included Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Fareed Ahmad Malik.

Sri Lanka’s Playing XI

The Sri Lankan team had the following players in their playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, and Lahiru Kumara.

Conclusion

The first of three matches between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan saw Matheesha Pathriana getting his maiden ODI wicket on his debut, giving Sri Lanka a breakthrough. However, Afghanistan is still ahead with less than 4.5 runs needed per over. With the ICC ODI World Cup scheduled to take place later this year in India, both teams would view this series as a preparation opportunity.