Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga claimed his first-ever T20I series win since being appointed full-time captain as Sri Lanka made mincemeat of Afghanistan in the second game of the three-match series by 72 runs on Monday (February 19).
Sri Lankan batters used the batting-friendly strip at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium after the Afghan skipper Ibrahim Zadran won the toss and sent them in.
Openers Pathum Nissanka (25 runs off 11 deliveries) and Kusal Mendis (23 off 14 balls) got the hosts off to a blistering start, putting the pressure right back on the tourists up front.
The Sri Lankan pair added 45 runs inside four overs before Nissanka was trapped in front of his stumps by Azmatullah Omarzai. Mendis was quick to follow his partner to the dugout as he fell prey to Fazalhaq Farooqi two deliveries later.
The home side lost three more wickets without adding much to the scoreboard and was reduced to 121/5 in 14.2 overs. However, things took an amazing turn for the Wanindu Hasaranga-led side as Sadeera Samarawickrama (51 off 42 balls) and Angelo Mathews came together in the middle.
The duo added 66 off just 34 balls to propel the Lankan Lions to 187/6 in 20 overs. Mathews was the star of the show as he smashed four sixes and two fours and batted at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 190.90.
Veteran allrounder Mohammad Nabi was the pick of the Afghan bowlers as he finished with figures of 2/25.
Afghanistan's chase wobbled early and they were struggling to keep up with the asking rate, having lost half their side inside five overs.
The Sri Lankan bowlers were disciplined in their approach and didn't offer any freebies for the tourists to cash in. A 39-run stand between Nabi and Karim Jant helped the visitors salvage their pride to some extent before the Lankan bowling attack came roaring back to restrict them to 115 in 17 overs.
Wanindu Hasaranga moves past Lankan legend Lasith Malinga
Skipper Hasaranga became the fastest Sri Lankan to 100 T20I wickets as he shattered Lasith Malinga's record. Hasaranga achieved the feat in his 63rd T20I outing whereas it took Malinga 76 T20Is snare 100 scalps in the format.
Hasaranga is the second-fastest to scale the milestone and is behind Afghanistan's Rashid Khan who bagged 100 T20I poles in just 53 games.
