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Afghans lose to Sri Lanka in one-off Test
06 Feb, 2024
Afghanistan showed some promise in the second innings but a flurry of wickets saw them lose track and go down to Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in Colombo
Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by 10 wickets in the one-off Test in Colombo (SSC) but not without the young Test nation putting up some fight.
The Afghans were bowled out for 198 with Rahmat Shah scoring 91. Pace bowler Vishwa Fernando took 4/51 while fellow pacer Asitha Fernando took 3/24. Left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya took 3/67.
The Sri Lankans, thanks to centuries by Angelo Mathews (141) and Dinesh Chandimal (107) and 77 by Dimuth Karunaratne, scored 439 before being all out in 109.2 overs. Naveed Zadran, an 18-year-old medium pacer, took 4/83.
Afghanistan, having conceded a 241-run lead on first innings, responded well, getting two century partnerships at the top.
Opener Ibrahim Zadran (114) and Noor Ali Zadran (47) added 106 for the first wicket while Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah (54) put on 108 for the second. But just as they were 27 runs short of clearing the deficit, Shah fell. Wickets at regular intervals saw them get bowled out for 296 in 112.3 overs.
Jayasuriya took 5/107 while Asitha Fernando took 3/63. The Sri Lankan openers reached the 56-run target in 7.2 overs.
Cricket, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Colombo, Test cricket