LAHORE: Kusal Mendis’ fighting 92 and a late partnership of 64 runs by Dunith Wellalage and Maheesh Theekshana helped Sri Lanka post a fine total of 291/8 against Afghanistan in their Asia Cup 2023 match here at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday.
Mendis scored the highest for Sri Lanka with 92 runs off 84 while Pathum Nissanka played a knock of 41 runs. For Afghanistan, Gulbadin Naib was the wrecker-in-chief as he bagged four wickets while star spinner Rashid Khan scalped two wickets.
Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bat against Afghanistan.
Sri Lanka got off to a fine start as their openers Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne put up a fine first-wicket partnership of more than 50 runs. Gulbadin Naib then provided Afghanistan with a breakthrough as he dismissed well-set batter Pathum Nissanka for 41.
Wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis then came out to bat. In the 14th over of the game, Gulbadin then struck against as he dismissed Karunaratne for 32. Gulbadin then stuck again as he removed new batter Sadeera Samarawickrama for 3.
Mendis then led Sri Lanka on the front foot as he kept slamming Afghanistan bowlers at regular intervals.
Afghanistan’s star spinner Rashid Khan gave his team a much-needed breakthrough, dismissing set batter Charith Asalanka for 36 in the 34th over of the match.
Dhananjaya de Silva then came out to bat. Sri Lanka suffered a big blow as Kusal Mendis was run out shying just 8 runs away from his century. Rashid Khan then dismissed Shanaka for 5.
New batters Dunith Wellalage-Maheesh Theekshana then tried to build the partnership and took their team’s total to 291/8.
Brief score: Sri Lanka 291/8 (Kusal Mendis 92; Pathum Nissanka 41; Gulbadin Naib 4-60) vs Afghanistan. (ANI)