Afghanistan was rarely in danger as Sri Lanka leveled the series with a dominant 132-run victory in the second ODI, despite fifty-plus scores from Ibrahim Zadran and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Dushmantha Chameera each took three wickets, while Dushmantha Chameera, making his return to the one-day side, put in a strong performance at the start of the innings to take two wickets for eighteen runs.
Afghanistan started slowly, falling short of their threatening target of 324 in large part due to Chameera and Kasun Rajitha’s short and precise lines. The visitors had gotten to 56 for 1 by the fifteenth over, exceeding the required pace of 7.5 an over.
Afghanistan definitely has the firearms for such a plan, thus it is likely that the aim was to get started and make up the gap afterwards. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, consistently struck at pivotal moments to match it.
Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim put on 51 for the second wicket after Chameera had given the hosts an excellent start in their defense of a challenging total by removing Gurbaz in just the fourth over. However, just as the pair would have been looking to pick up speed, Shah was caught LBW by Dasun Shanaka.
Shahidi was forced into a corner as a result, and what came next was a time when Afghanistan appeared to be the most dangerous. Even while it wasn’t enough to keep the needed rate from increasing, the pair put on 84 off just 89 deliveries, which was laying the groundwork for a late charge. After all, Sri Lanka finished their innings with 178 runs in the final 20 overs.
However, with their efforts to get back into the race a little bit, the scheduled launch never happened. In the 31st over, Dhananjaya caught Ibrahim behind; a few overs later, he also picked up Shahidi and trapped him square in front.
From that point on, the rest of the batting struggled to adjust to the variety afforded by Sri Lanka’s number of spinners, and it became a true procession. At the very end, Azmatullah Omarzai delivered a few furious blows, but the outcome was already clear.
Each player carried out their plans to the letter, starting with captain Shanaka who won the toss and decided to bat on what appeared to be a good batting surface. It was a victory that would bring great satisfaction to the Sri Lankan thinking department.
Before this series, the strategy had involved laying the platform with anchors and launching them after the game was over. Sri Lanka performed part one of the game’s requirements rather successfully, but the necessary explosion never occurred.
However, cameos from Shanaka, Dhananjaya, and Hasaranga helped Sri Lanka surpass the 300 scores in this case. Hasaranga, in particular, took great pleasure in playing the role of late-order destroyer with his 12-ball 29. Sri Lanka, who had previously struggled in the final few overs, scored 109 runs in the last 10.
The foundation had been laid earlier by solid fifties from Kusal Mendis and Dimuth Karunaratne. Karunaratne could not accelerate and fell, but Mendis remained in the game long enough to land a couple of huge punches en route to a 75-ball 78.
But of the four changes from the first game, Mendis’ pairing with Sadeera Samarawickrama would end up being the game’s most important one. After a cautious beginning that saw the score meander to 145 for 2 by the conclusion of the 30th over, 54 runs would be scored in the following seven overs, and the run rate would start to increase for the first time in the innings.
An innings that had been sitting for important parts was given new life by their partnership of 88 off 86, which was largely due to Sri Lanka’s propensity to pile up dot balls. The overall number of dots bowled throughout the Lankan innings was 133, a decrease from the 158 in the first game but still cause for concern.
Mendis and Samarawickrama would lose before the last assault, but Shanaka, Dhananjaya, and Hasaranga would keep Sri Lanka moving forward as they rushed for a total that would ultimately be successful.