Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, Match 7 - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Date & Time: Jun 04, 10:30 AM LOCAL
Pradeep ended up with four scalps to ensure Sri Lanka's fine win
Pradeep ended up with four scalps to ensure Sri Lanka's fine win © Getty

Presentation

Karunaratne: We had a good start after a long time but suddenly, we lost a couple of wickets and were on the back foot. That's the negative part but otherwise, the bowling and fielding was really good. After losing the first game, it's not easy to keep your mind in positive way. We have experience in these conditions and that helped. Only thing we need to work on is to improve our batting in the middle overs.

Naib: (Where things went wrong) Start of the day, we didn't bowl in good areas and lost momentum from there. They got to 100 in no time. At one point, I thought they would get to 300 but Nabi bowled really well. Wicket wasn't easy for the batters, so I was telling the bowlers to hit the right spots, hit the deck. In the middle overs, Dawlat and Hamid found their lines. Credit goes to them and the other bowlers.

Malinga, Pradeep knock over Afghanistan

We have seen this zillion times! Malinga firing in the yorker to knock over a tailender. The veteran does it again with a pinpoint yorker to shatter the timber of Hamid. Sri Lanka had a close shave but escaped with a 34-run victory. Afghanistan tried hard with Nabi running through the batting order after Kusal had cracked a fifty. However, their batsmen couldn't counter the seaming conditions and the duo of Pradeep and Malinga.

Final nail in the coffin?

And that is perhaps the final nail in Afghanistan's coffin as Najibullah is run out. Dimuth at covers picked up the ball quickly and rocketed in a fine throw to effect the direct hit. That sort of fielding would lift any side. On the other hand, Najibullah is crestfallen.

Engrossing contest

Dawlat is hanging back all the time but Lakmal continues to hit a slightly shorter length. He perhaps needs to bowl a tad fuller to produce the edge. Remember, Dawlat isn't moving that well as he is injured.

Eventually, Malinga got it right with the slow toe-crusher to castle the tailender. He tried it a few times in the over before getting it on target.

Crucial scalps

I seem to have jinxed Afghanistan. Pradeep trapped Naib with the nip-backer. The angle seemed to be taking it down leg but despite Naib taking the review, the Hawkeye showed it would just clip the leg stump. To make matters worse, Rashid was castled by the one that cut back in from Pradeep. He has taken four wickets in the match so far and the ball is zipping through.

On a side note, hard to understand why the fielder at mid on is sitting back with Dawlat at the crease. Need to close in...

Meanwhile, it has gone dark in Cardiff.

Afghanistan inch closer

The pair is still going strong and it looks like Naib and Najibullah have turned things around. Najib even brought out the reverse sweep and collected a boundary off Dhananjaya. Less than 70 runs needed.

Naib, Najibullah prop up Afghanistan

Naib, the skipper, essayed a sublime straight drive and then pulled Malinga. Naib and Najibullah have stitched a timely stand. Afghanistan now need less than 100 runs. It has been a see-saw game so far.

Najibullah dealing in boundaries..

After losing 5 wickets, Afghanistan find someone to pilot them out of trouble. Najib cracked a couple of handsome drives against Perera and Pradeep in successive overs. Can he steady the ship in the company of his skipper?

Thisara strikes in his first over

The all-rounder comes into the attack and goes through Nabi's defence in his first over of the match. Things looking bleak for Afghanistan with one of their better batsmen back in the pavilion. 57/5 after 14 overs...

Sri Lanka bossing the game...

Shahidi survived a run out scare. Nabi played the one-legged pull behind square, but Pradeep charged in and rocketed a throw at the bowler's end. However, Shahidi had made it in comfortably.

Unfortunately, he couldn't survive for long as he pushed at a quickish delivery from Pradeep that climbed awkwardly and was caught behind.

Thisara banishes old memories

Thisara Perera has taken a stunner and that should lift Sri Lanka. It was a short ball from Pradeep and Zazai took on the well directed short one but couldn't time it properly. Perera at fine leg ran full tilt and put in the dive to pluck a sharp catch. Remember, a couple of years ago, Thisara had dropped a sitter at the same ground against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy.

Udana prises Rahmat out

Udana has followed up Shahzad by dismissing Rahmat with the one that was angled away to produce the edge. Huge blow as Rahmat is technically their best batsman.

Malinga picks up one

Kusal Mendis has fluffed one behind square and the explosive Zazai gets a reprieve. Nothing is going right for them. Mind you, Rixon, the fielding coach, would be an unhappy man. He is known as a tough taskmaster.

Finally, there was something to cheer about for the island nation as Shahzad chipped a slower one to the short midwicket fielder. Sri Lanka desperately needed a breakthrough and they have got one.

Sri Lanka lose the plot

We have seen everything in Afghanistan's innings so far. Lakmal and Malinga got a few to swing and seam but as soon as the duo bowled short or Malinga served up full tosses, Zazai took advantage of it by clubbing boundaries. The southpaw stays deep and looks to clear his front leg almost every ball. Sri Lanka have to hit more of a fullish length and bowl in the channel with movement on offer.

Afghanistan need 187

Rashid Khan picked up the final wicket to fall with Sri Lanka folding up for 201 in the 37th over. As per the DLS method, the revised target is 187. Remember, Kusal's pyrotechnics had put Sri Lanka in a formidable position at 144 for 1 before they lost their way with Nabi scything through the middle order to end up with four wickets to his name.

With persistent rain, there could be some moisture to work with for the pacers.

Lakmal, Malinga club a few

Lakmal and Malinga have slogged a few away. Afghanistan not getting it right by bowling short with both lower order batsmen backing away and clearing their front leg out.

However, Dawlat finally, got a toe-crusher out and cleaned up Malinga.

Play resumes

And the drizzle has gone. The players are out in the middle with Dawlat bowling to Malinga. Great to some action again!!

Drizzle is back

Unfortunately, there seems to be a light drizzle at the moment and the hover cover is back in place.

To restart at 4.00 PM

More great news. The match will start at 4.00 PM local time, which is about 27 minutes away! It will be a 41-over-side match. And the innings break will be of just 10 minutes.

Rain stops...

Finally some good news as it has almost stopped raining. The groundsmen are out in the middle. The sun also seems to have made an appearance as the covers get removed. Meanwhile, the lunch break has been taken.

This rain break could help the pacers as some moisture would have been retained.

Still raining

There isn't much to update as it is still raining in Cardiff. And the forecast doesn't look good. We will start losing overs in another 15 minutes time.

Covers come on...

The rain has got heavier and the umpires have decided to call on the covers. Some respite for Lanka, they can regroup and contemplate on what went wrong after the kind of start they got off to.

The one positive news for fans is that the ground has a good drainage system - installed in 2008.

The drainage system has a "herring-bone arrangement of channels" beneath the turf, attached to storage tanks. The water is then evacuated towards the nearby river Taff. The system can take around 30 millilitres of water per hour.

Rashid Khan gets the big fish

Kusal Perera looks to reverse sweep Rashid but gets a glove on its way to the keeper. Sri Lanka sink further! 182-8 after 33 overs...

Kusal stands alone...

More madness from Sri Lanka. With Kual Perera at the other end, Isuru tried an ugly hoick and got cleaned up by Dawlat. 178 for 7 now.

Now a run out

Afghanistan's fielding has been good in this game. And they have now effected a run out with Thisara losing his wicket. What a turnaround this has been from Afghanistan?? From 144 for 1, Sri Lanka have slid to 159 for 6.

Thisara took a few steps to pinch a single but Kusal sent him back and he couldn't return. Good work from Shahidi and Shahzad.

Hassan injured?

On the flip side... "In his enthusiastic jump after the wicket, Hamid seems to have slightly strained his groin," Kaushik Rangarajan. However, he is still bowling with good pace.

Mayhem in Cardiff

It is mayhem in Cardiff! Sri Lankan batsmen are falling over like nine pins. Hamid Hassan has bowled a better spell in the middle overs and gets the reward with the one where he hit the seam to extract a hint of nip back in to produce the edge of Dhananjaya.The middle order batsman hung back with his back foot hardly loading and hence, the front foot didn't really move.

Nabi on a roll

Suddenly, there is drama and action in the middle!! Nabi has picked up three wickets in a single over on a seaming track! Unbelievable. Some clever flight and good control helped Nabi to run through the cream of Sri Lanka's batting order.

He tempted Mendis to prod forward with the scrambled seam off spinner, while Thirimanne chopped one on. Mathews was done in by the arm ball.

Nabi has to be the best finger spinner going around in ODIs. He has about three variations and outsmarts the batsmen with slight changes in pace and length. Lovely bowling. Afghanistan's players have found their voice again.

Lack of discipline

When pacers are hitting the good length, the track is still offering some seam movement. However, Afghanistan haven't been disciplined enough.

Kusal in top form

And Kusal has completed his fifty in style with a cracking shot through covers. The ball rocketed through at what seemed like speed of light. On the other hand, Gulbadin, the Afghan skipper, bowled a slew of no balls and wides and gave away 19 runs. Poor stuff.

Here is an exclusive interview with the former Durham and Essex's opener Jon Lewis, who is now the batting coach of the Sri Lankan setup. At his peak, he was known as a solid opener in the County circles.

Breakthrough

Finally, Afghanistan have a wicket! And it is the wily old Nabi who provided the breakthrough by dislodging Dimuth. Tossed up delivery, tempting the Sri Lankan skipper to skip down the track but he could only spoon a catch to the fielder stationed at long on.

Afghanistan under the pump

Perera continues to explore all corners of the ground. The modern day Jayasuriya just flogged Mujeeb after waltzing down the track through mid on and stayed back to wait for the short ball and cut. Smart batting from the southpaw. Mujeeb seems to be struggling a bit with cold conditions around.

Perera on the charge

The track hasn't offered much movement as expected. On the other hand, Kusal Perera has gone blazing through the off side, peppered with the occasional pull. Karunaratne is also looking in decent touch, flicking Hamid through midwicket. Under overcast conditions, it hasn't swung. Surprisingly, little seam movement too.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's pacers - Hassan and Zadran - have been all over the place. Maybe they got too excited by seeing grass on the pitch. On such a track, discipline is the key. Afghanistan's pacers also haven't really hit the seam on a good length to extract movement off the deck.

Testing conditions?

We are ready to go. Remember, with moisture around, it isn't just about movement off the deck but the occasional delivery could stop on the batsman.

"Barely any people in the stands. One enthusiastic Afghanistan bunch - about 14 people - is trying to make noise. The hover cover is still waiting by the pitch. Scratch the previous sentence ... it's been taken off now," our man at the ground, Kaushik Rangarajan says.

Teams and captains speak

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne(c), Kusal Perera(w), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Shahzad(w), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib(c), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan

Dimuth Karunaratne: In the last game also we batted first. The batsmen have an idea how to bat here. It's (captaincy) not easy, it's a good challenge. They give me support. Jeevan Mendis is not playing. Pradeepis playing.

Gulbadin Naib: We want to bowl first. The conditions are good for the bowlers. It's a good toss to win. We struggled in the middle, we put a good total, but that wasn't good enough against a good team like Australia. Sri Lanka is a champion side. No changes.

Toss

Afghanistan have opted to bowl. Karunaratne perhaps needs to pray for luck in terms of winning tosses. The track looks soft underneath and one expects the ball to nibble around a bit. And with moisture around, there is every chance that shine (of the white ball) would be retained for longer periods.

Prelude:

The World Cup has come alive with Bangladesh and the unpredictable Pakistan causing upsets. Can Afghanistan follow in their footsteps by overcoming Sri Lanka?

The feisty Afghanistan side will certainly look to hunt down the Island nation. Najibullah Zadran, Rahmat, Nabi, Rashid Khan, Hamid Hassan are some of the key players in the Afghanistan set-up who need to fire on the day.

It is hard to find adjectives to describe the rise of Afghanistan in the cricketing landscape. From the humble beginnings of Afghanistan refugees taking part in tape-ball cricket matches in Peshawar in the 1990s, setting up the Afghanistan Cricket Board in 1995 to triumphs in Division Five and Division Three tournaments of WCL, qualifying for World T20 in 2010, playing its first ODI in 2012, participating in the 2015 World Cup and Test status - the journey has certainly been a wonderful one.

What about Sri Lanka? The island nation put up a lacklustre show in seaming conditions versus New Zealand to lose by a thumping margin of 10 wickets. Can the Karunaratne-led side put behind the embarrassing loss?

From all accounts, it could turn out to be another greenish track in Cardiff.

Toss and teams in a while...

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