Heroic Pathum Nissanka double hundred overshadows incredible Omarzai-Nabi fightback as Sri Lanka take 1-0 lead

Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka hit an incredible double hundred to secure Sri Lanka’s victory over Afghanistan on Friday, February 9 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Nissanka’s magnificent innings helped the hosts secure a 42-run victory, which allowed them to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series.

Nissanka hit his maiden double century in Pallekele on Friday, securing his feat in just 136 balls. Nissanka became only the 10th player in the history of cricket to achieve the feat and did so as the third-fastest double centurion in the format. The batter broke the record of Sanath Jayasuriya – the previous top scorer for Sri Lanka in an ODI game, when he crossed 189 runs.

Sent to bat first by Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, Sri Lanka put up a total of 381 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in the match. Nissanka was the star of the show building a patient innings alongside Avishka Fernando.

The openers put together 182 runs in 26.2 overs before Fernando was dismissed for a run-a-ball 88. Nissanka switched gears after that and punished the Afghan side, remaining unbeaten at 210 off just 139 balls.

In the second innings of the game, Sri Lanka took an early lead, courtesy of fast bowlers Pramod Madushan and Dushmantha Chameera. The hosts wiped out the Afghan top order in no time and virtually secured the win in the first 10 overs of the game.

However, an incredible 6th wicket partnership between young Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi gave the team some hope.

The duo, one in the twilight of his career and another in the dawn stitched 242 runs between them – the second highest partnership for 6th wicket in the history of ODI cricket. Both hit individual centuries, giving Afghanistan a ray of hope.

Despite the improbability of the chase, Afghanistan players felt that they were still in the game. That however was curbed by Madushan’s final spell, where he dismissed Nabi (136 off 130) with a leg-cutter. The task was too much from there on and the team were able to put up 339 for the loss of six wickets in the second innings. Omarzai remained unbeaten on 149 off 115 balls.

Hashmatullah Shahidi spoke at the post-match presentation and said that he had elected to bowl first because of the dew factor. Shahidi’s decision blew up in his face with the Sri Lanka openers feasting on the team’s bowling order which was without the services of Rashid Khan and Mujeed Ur Rahman.

“The decision was about the dew factor. The pitch was good to bat on in the second innings. We just gave away too many runs. The powerplay overs, we were not up to the mark. We gave them the game there. They had partnerships and carried on,” Hashmatullah Shahidi rued the first innings mistakes.

“We had the hope when Nabi and Azmatullah were playing. We had the belief when 15 overs were left,” Shahidi further added.

Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka was named the player of the match for his stunning innings. Nissanka said that he corrected his mistakes from past games and his patience paid dividends on the day.

“I tried to fix my mistakes (of getting fifties and not converting to 100s), so that’s what I did. It was a good pitch to bat on. The start Avishka and I got was the foundation for the score we eventually got,” Nissanka said after the match.

The second match of the series will be played at the same venue on Sunday, 11 February.