Afghanistan sounded a warning to other teams in the upcoming ODI World Cup as they notched up an easy and rare victory over Sri Lanka in their final warm-up game at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday.
Initially chasing 295 for victory in another rain-interrupted game at the venue, Afghanistan were set a revised target of 257 from 42 overs via DLS method. Kolkata Knight Riders wicketkeeper-batter Rahmatullah Gurbaz scored a 92-ball 119 as an opener while No. 3 Rahmat Shah amassed 93 off 82 balls as the Afghans coasted to 261 for four wickets with 23 balls to spare.
Earlier Lanka wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis, who also took the responsibility of captaining the side in regular skipper Dasun Shanaka's absence through injury, played a blazing knock of 158 runs off 87 balls with 19 fours and nine sixes as the Islanders reached 294 in 46.2 overs after being asked to bat first following a delayed start due to rain and wet outfield. No other Lanka top-order batter could convert their starts as Sri Lanka could not reach 300 despite Mendis' heroics.
Taking full advantage of the overcast condition, Afghanistan pacers bowled a tight line to deny SL batters any freebee except Mendis who looked in different touch altogether compared to his teammates as he took most of the Afghan bowlers to the cleaners. Mohammad Nabi was the pick of the Afghan bowlers returning 4/44 in 8 overs.
In reply, Afghans started a determined lot to have some kind of batting practice in the last warm-up game before they begin the actual journey as their first match against South Africa was abandoned in Thiruvananthapuram earlier. They lost the first wicket cheaply in the form of Ibrahim Zadran for 7 but Gurbaz and Rahmat took the game beyond Sri Lankans with a 212-run stand for the second wicket on either side of a rain-induced long halt.
To give their middle order some feel of the chase, both returned to the pavilion retired hurt but there was not much left to do. Though Nabi was out scoring just one, Nazibullah Zadran and Azmatullah Omarzai made sure there were not any further hiccups on their way to an easy victory.
