Afghanistan struggled to reach the target of 309 and ended up getting bowled out for 153 in 34 overs, with leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga taking four crucial wickets.
Initially doing well at 128 for one, Afghanistan faced a setback when Rahmat Shah (54) and Ibrahim Zadran (63) were dismissed. The pair had added 97 runs for the second wicket, but after their dismissals, the rest of the batters couldn’t put up much of a fight.
Asitha Fernando, playing his first ODI in 15 months, made a breakthrough by having Ibrahim caught behind. Hasaranga then made his mark with two wickets in an over, trapping Rahmat leg-before-wicket, and dismissing captain Hashmatullah Shahidi by bowling.
Seamers Dilshan Madushanka and Asitha Fernando also contributed with two wickets each. Afghanistan’s collapse saw them lose eight wickets for just 10 runs, allowing Sri Lanka to dominate the match under the lights.
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