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CARDIFF, June 4
Sri Lanka recovered from a dramatic batting collapse to knock over Afghanistan for 152 and seal a 34-run win (D/L method) for their first victory at the World Cup.
Sri Lanka imploded from 144/1 to 201 all out in an innings delayed by nearly three hours because of rain at Sophia Gardens in the Welsh capital.
Chasing a revised target of 187 from a maximum 41 overs, Afghanistan slumped from 34/0 to 57/5 then battled back through a 64-run stand between Gulbadin Naib (23) and Najibullah Zadran (43). Sri Lanka again responded and took the final five wickets for 31 runs, with recalled seamer Nuwan Pradeep getting 4/31.
The error-strewn match featured 52 extras — Sri Lanka’s 35 was the second-highest scorer in the scorecard — to strengthen the feeling this was a contest between the two teams likely fighting to avoid last place in the 10-team group. The Afghans’ only win at a World Cup remains the one over Scotland in 2015 but they’ll feel this match slipped from their grasp, especially when Sri Lanka were reeling at 159/6 after three wickets in one over from Mohammad Nabi. Sri Lanka, who made the fastest 10-over start to the tournament by racing to 79/0, lost their last nine wickets for 57 runs in 15.4 overs. — AFP
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