Sri Lankan fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana emerged as the hero, claiming four crucial wickets to rescue the hosts from a batting collapse and secure a narrow four-run victory over Afghanistan in T20 opener in Dambulla on Saturday.
Despite Sri Lanka being all out for 160, with only six balls remaining, Pathirana's stellar performance turned the tide in their favour.
Afghan opener Ibrahim Zadran played a lone hand, remaining unbeaten with a commendable 67, but lacked support from the rest of the team. The next top-scorer, Karim Janat, managed only 20 at number seven before falling victim to Pathirana.
Pathirana, at the age of 21, was awarded Man of the Match for his outstanding contributions in only his second T20 match. His two quick dismissals in the penultimate over left Afghanistan 11 runs short at the end, securing the thrilling victory for Sri Lanka. Reflecting on his performance, Pathirana stated, "The game was hanging in the balance, and I was trying to turn the game in our favor. I thought I did the job for the team."
Afghan seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi played a crucial role, taking three wickets to bowl out Sri Lanka after their late-inning collapse. The hosts, initially well-placed at 146-5 in the last four overs, lost the last five wickets for just 14 runs in 25 deliveries.
Captain Wanindu Hasaranga, who promoted himself to number six, emerged as the top-scorer for Sri Lanka with 67. In a 72-run partnership with Sadeera Samarawickrama, Hasaranga temporarily steadied the innings. His second T20 half-century came in just 24 deliveries, with an elegant boundary through extra cover off Qais Ahmed. However, the partnership was broken when Samarawickrama was run out, followed by Hasaranga's dismissal after a miscalculated drive.
Sri Lanka, having won the solitary Test of the tour and sweeping the ODI series against Afghanistan 3-0, looks forward to the remaining two T20 matches of the series hosted in Dambulla on Monday and Wednesday.
