WORLD CUP: Sri Lanka top Afghanistan in low-scoring thriller
SUMMARY: Sri Lanka 201 all out from 36.5 overs (Kusal Perera 78, Dimuth Karunaratne 30, Lahiru Thirimanne 25, Mohammad Nabi 4-30) v Afghanistan 152 all out from 32.4 overs (Najibullah Zadran 43, Hazratullah Zazai 30, Nuwan Pradeep 4-31, Lasith Malinga 3-39)
Sri Lanka denied Afghanistan a famous victory by winning a low-scoring thriller in the World Cup at Cardiff. After a dismal batting collapse by Sri Lanka, Afghanistan needed a rain-revised target of just 187 from 41 overs, but were beaten by 34 runs.
Afghanistan slipped to 54-5 in their chase, but a partnership of 64 by Najibullah Zadran and captain Gulbadin Naib gave them hope. But Nuwan Pradeep returned and took two quick wickets before Najibullah was run out by Dimuth Karunaratne for 43.
That left the final pair needing 42 more to win but Lasith Malinga bowled Hamid Hassan with a trademark yorker four balls later. Sri Lanka had earlier gone from 141-1 to 201 all out – a collapse sparked when Mohammed Nabi took three wickets in the 22nd over.
Victory would have been Afghanistan’s second at a World Cup and first against a Test-playing nation at the tournament. Instead, Sri Lanka earn their first win of the 2019 World Cup. (BBC Sport)
