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Sri Lanka [201] defeat Afghanistan [152] by 34 runs (D/L method) in group stage of 2019 World Cup

What were you doing Najibullah? Why didn't you dive? lol everyone in Afghanistan must be cursing him right now.
 
Markhor said:
That's the game - impossible single and Najib goes.
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They didn't have much of a choice, but if there was an over to let it go, it would have been this one after getting 9 runs.

Afghanistan, riding so high, beating SA, darlings, then good ol Sri Lanka showed them how far they still have to go.
 
The bowler was unintentionally standing on the perfect position for the runout.
 
I'm glad they are losing, might bring the minnows back to reality. Can't wait for real cricket to resume tomorrow.

And just as I type this, malinga yorks him haha
 
Sri Lanka win.

This won't be an easy game. We need to not be over confident.
 
What a yorker to end it !

A cracking game. Well done Sri Lanka on a badly needed win. Pakistan cannot afford to underestimate them.
 
I don't know if this win from Sri Lanka is something they should be worried about or not, but then we lost to Afghanistan in the warmup.
 
Afghanistan146/9(32.1 overs).

They struggled so much again. There batting is really weak.
 
barah_admi said:
I'm glad they are losing, might bring the minnows back to reality. Can't wait for real cricket to resume tomorrow.

And just as I type this, malinga yorks him haha
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I don't like the over the top bravado of some of the Afghans either but this was definitely real cricket in terms of keeping you on edge of seat with twists and turns.

Not the best of quality but an entertaining low scoring match.
 
Malinga will go gentle into that good night. Still some fire left in that tank. That roar after last wicket!
 
Afghanistan will only get better with time. They are already so much fun to watch and have become such a solid side by playing only few years of international cricket. Should have won today, but threw their wickets by playing silly shots. Gulbadin should have tried to play with the straight bat at the time and kept rotating the strike as Najeebullah was batting beautifully.
 
It's over. A poor quality game, but quite entertaining one, which should be eye opener : it's much more entertaining to watch games on ~250 per, rather than ~350 per.

Quite disappointed with the AFGs actually - I expected better from them, at least after 1st half of the game. This is SRL team at their lowest point in 4 decades and still they are comfortable winners after several blunders one game, even dropped a dolly of Zazai. Rain could have established a great myth today - Lankans saved by rain, but ideally they could & should have won it with 100+ margin, that too after being put into bat.

I have to say, in these conditions IRL is a better team than AFGs and they would have done better in this WC with confirmed 9 games. AFGs might surprise some team in one odd game, but their batting is not up to the mark, neither fielding. Actually, SCT has a far better batting that AFGs and their fielding, pace attack is superior as well. AFGs has a dominating advantage in spin attack, but that won't be enough here in UK.

This WC should be another eye opener for ICC - arrange the qualifiers in the same country that WC is scheduled. It was unfair for IRL & SCT to play qualifiers on slower, docile ZIM wickets when WC is going to take place in completely different condition, very familiar to them. I hope, next WC qualifier is played in IND, BD or SRL ... or even in Nepal, but not in WIN or ZIM.

Any way, good luck to AFGs and SRL as well - by 2023, both teams should be better than now.
 
Sarwar89 said:
Afghanistan are chokers and are lucky to be in world cup, curtosy of hong kong beating nepal and uae beating zimbabwe in qualifiers which gave afghanistan edge in qualification.
They will lose 9-0 in this world cup. bunch of over rated team fully supported by Indian lobby and parts of ICC.
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I think, ZIM lost to UAE in a rain curtailed game and they were extremely unlucky to lose couple of wickets just before the break, which added at lest 20 in DWL target, eventually lost by 1 run, a tie could have taken them. In UK condition, ZIM is definitely a better team with the batting of Taylor, Raza and their pace attack, and their fielding is at different level.
 
AFG missed a great chance. It will be hard for them to win if their batting fails like today
 
MMHS said:
He is one of the most over hyped pundit (Captain) in cricket.
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I’ve had the Honors of meeting him in person, quite a dull person, so much smugness. Tom Moody is a very decent bloke, he made me a steak :inzi
 
Can someone make a World Cup match prediction thread for fun to make PP more entertaining :afridi
 
Poor Srilankans. Country of De Silva, Ranatunga, Sanga,Murali, Mahela, Vaas, once world champion are celebrating wins over Afgans.
Feeling for Afgans also . Their bowlers brought their team back after flying start if Srilanka, but their batters ruined it
 
The pitch provided for Pakistan's first match a green seaming one.Both of Sri Lanka's matches were on green seaming wickets.In contrast England gets flat batting paradises.England's batting is its strength.It seems there is something fishy going on.Afghanistan's inexperience and rashness was exposed by experienced Sri Lankans.Afghanistan could have chased the runs successfully but they did not apply themselves.They only needed a couple of good partnerships.
 
sindhiboy said:
true there seems to be political agenda in the indian support. many commentators, simon doull, even michael clarke and obviously all of india hyped afghanistan as a team who could cause real upsets and a team everyone must fear.

even rashid and mujeeb are not dangerous anymore

but they do have potential, explosive openers, najibullah and a decent no.3 rahmat shah
all they need is a proper keeper(shazad is a disgrace to keeping, no offence) and good fast bowlers, there are some in their domestic circuit

im sure they will be a better team in 5 years
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No, AFGs are over hyped most here in PP, that too for a reason. Even most of the AFG posters here (apart from fake Afghani) are quite humble and they do know where their team stands. AFGs have done the first job quite well, thanks to the support from BCCI - that's narrowing the bridge between associates and seasoned teams; next task is much, much tougher one. Simple reason is, the higher you reach, degree of difficulty increases exponentially.

I hope they do well in 5 years time, but their squad is quite aged - Shahzad, Nabi, Zadran, Hamid are already 30+ and that's AFG 30..... Badly need couple of batsmen immediately, at least Rahmat's quality. But their T20 game is better which suits their strength and unfortunately nemesis as well - if AFGs are to reach next level, they have to reduce focusing on T20 significantly, it won't take them much higher.
 
The story of Afghanistan cricket and how they have come this far, is an unbelievable story. We all should read that.
 
Well done Lanka. Even winning against Afghanistan is an achievement for them. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Anyways afghanistan are a good upcoming team but they need to understand their place. They think they're better than Pakistan and Bangladesh and have a good chance of winning the semis. It's okay to be cocky but you need to be realistic. Afghanistan are now where BD was in 2007 WC(where we beat 2 of the favourites - India and SA in 9 matches)
 
Artaxerxes said:
The pitch provided for Pakistan's first match a green seaming one.Both of Sri Lanka's matches were on green seaming wickets.In contrast England gets flat batting paradises.England's batting is its strength.It seems there is something fishy going on.Afghanistan's inexperience and rashness was exposed by experienced Sri Lankans.Afghanistan could have chased the runs successfully but they did not apply themselves.They only needed a couple of good partnerships.
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Yup it has nothing to do with the fact that the two grounds England has played their matches on so far are one of the worlds high scoring venues.
 
Well done Sri Lanka you fully deserved this victory, literally showed the opposition their place and how mediocre and garbage they really are.
 
Executioner said:
Well done Lanka. Even winning against Afghanistan is an achievement for them. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Anyways afghanistan are a good upcoming team but they need to understand their place. They think they're better than Pakistan and Bangladesh and have a good chance of winning the semis. It's okay to be cocky but you need to be realistic. Afghanistan are now where BD was in 2007 WC(where we beat 2 of the favourites - India and SA in 9 matches)
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Why are you comparing? There are few trolls here try to get under BD posters' skin, but that doesn't mean you need to get after AFGs. I don't think anyone having any cricket sense ever expected AFGs to make SF - whoever thought so either an idiot or trolling. But, they have few quality individuals,who can win a game against odds on their day - Bangladesh could be one victim as well.
 
My message to Afghanistan fans is. Their ascendance to the top was extraordinary. It was like a dream coming true. It deserves a movie.

However, I can assure you, the next few steps are much more difficult. It is easy to beat lower tier teams but when you are up against top teams - you can't afford to make any mistake. You have to be good in all aspects. We Bangladesh fans have found it the hard way. We too rose quickly - 1997 to 2000 we were flying high. After getting test status we came crashing down. No doubt we were improving but we were making our mark when cricket was at it's absolute best. All of the top teams back then were exceptional and if you think the no. 9 ranked team - Zimbabwe were bad, then you're wrong. Zimbabwe in 2003 WC would start as favourites against many of the teams playing in this world cup. I hope the fans and cricketers remain humble and patient. And maybe after a decade Afghanistan will become a good team who would constantly challenge the best sides in the world. Slowly but surely
 
Mainul said:
Poor Srilankans. Country of De Silva, Ranatunga, Sanga,Murali, Mahela, Vaas, once world champion are celebrating wins over Afgans.
Feeling for Afgans also . Their bowlers brought their team back after flying start if Srilanka, but their batters ruined it
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you forgot to mention sanath
 
Executioner said:
My message to Afghanistan fans is. Their ascendance to the top was extraordinary. It was like a dream coming true. It deserves a movie.

However, I can assure you, the next few steps are much more difficult. It is easy to beat lower tier teams but when you are up against top teams - you can't afford to make any mistake. You have to be good in all aspects. We Bangladesh fans have found it the hard way. We too rose quickly - 1997 to 2000 we were flying high. After getting test status we came crashing down. No doubt we were improving but we were making our mark when cricket was at it's absolute best. All of the top teams back then were exceptional and if you think the no. 9 ranked team - Zimbabwe were bad, then you're wrong. Zimbabwe in 2003 WC would start as favourites against many of the teams playing in this world cup. I hope the fans and cricketers remain humble and patient. And maybe after a decade Afghanistan will become a good team who would constantly challenge the best sides in the world. Slowly but surely
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please dont compare BD ascend with Afg. 1997 to 2000 BD are nowhere near where Afg is currently now
 
MMHS said:
Why are you comparing? There are few trolls here try to get under BD posters' skin, but that doesn't mean you need to get after AFGs. I don't think anyone having any cricket sense ever expected AFGs to make SF - whoever thought so either an idiot or trolling. But, they have few quality individuals,who can win a game against odds on their day - Bangladesh could be one victim as well.
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Yes I am afraid of Afghanistan, they convincingly best us in Asia Cup and if it wasn’t for Mustafiz’s magic it would have been Ind vs Afg final.
 
when you sideline batting stalwarts like asghar stanikzai & samiullah shenwari, such defeats are bound to happen. this will be a bitter pill to swallow for the comically-clueless afghan trolls on facebook.
 
barah_admi said:
I'm glad they are losing, might bring the minnows back to reality. Can't wait for real cricket to resume tomorrow.

And just as I type this, malinga yorks him haha
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Quite harsh laughing at Afghan bros and tomorrow is Eid brother :amla where is the love :asif
 
The darling of Asia couldn’t get the total. The hype and the fake love some people show for them. Lol! This isn’t T20, they can’t bat in 50 overs unless you give them a sniff. today was a big chance for them but once you apply good pressure on them, they’ll crumble like true minnows, they have lots to learn!
 
MMHS said:
Why are you comparing? There are few trolls here try to get under BD posters' skin, but that doesn't mean you need to get after AFGs. I don't think anyone having any cricket sense ever expected AFGs to make SF - whoever thought so either an idiot or trolling. But, they have few quality individuals,who can win a game against odds on their day - Bangladesh could be one victim as well.
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I am not bothered about internet trolls. I am talking about Afghanistan thinking they have a genuine chance of making it to the semis which I believe is far-fetched. Heck, it's seems out of reach even for us

pakpassfan said:
please dont compare BD ascend with Afg. 1997 to 2000 BD are nowhere near where Afg is currently now
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I compared current afghanistan to BD in 2007 in my earlier post. Please check it. Of course Current Afghanistan are stronger than BD 1997-2000
 
I think Afghanistan in ODIs are not as good as they are in T20s. In twenty20s Rashid Khan and Mujeeb can affect the game more by keeping runs down for their hard hitting batsmen to chase, in the longer ODI format the other apsects gets exposed.
 
This win will give Sri Lankans a belief that they can make a comeback from any situation. Rest assured, Pakistan v Sri Lanka is going to be one of the best matches in the tournament.
 
Kusal Perera is well used to holding Sri Lanka’s batting together.

Back in February, the pugnacious left-hander played one of the great Test innings at Durban to steer his side to an improbable one-wicket victory – a result that set the platform for Sri Lanka to become the first Asian country to win a Test series in South Africa,

He finished on a career-best 153 not out in a scarcely believable Test finish and his last-wicket stand of 78 with Vishwa Fernando was the highest of all time in a successful chase.

In only his second one-day international back in 2013, Perera, then only 22, got Sri Lanka over the line in a low-scoring thriller at the Gabba against Australia with a gritty 22 not out in a winning total of 75 for six.

Against Afghanistan at Cardiff Wales Stadium, Sri Lanka’s wicket-keeper was moved one place up the order to open with the skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, with whom he enjoyed a second-wicket stand of 42 in the opening match defeat to New Zealand.

And that decision looked well justified when Perera set about Hamid Hassan in the second over of the match, pulling his first ball for four and smashing the fourth straight back past the bowler.

The openers took full advantage of Afghanistan’s wayward start with the ball.

Their punchy start of 79 without loss from the first ten overs was this tournament’s most prolific Powerplay and their opening stand of 92 was Sri Lanka’s highest in the five ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup tournaments held in the UK.

At drinks Sri Lanka were 109 for no wicket from 16 overs and in the ascendancy. The game looked to be going only one way.

They seemed to be regaining all the confidence that had drained away during their dismissal for 136 against New Zealand last weekend, not to mention the nine previous ODIs of which only one against Scotland had been a victory.

When Perera brought up his fifty with an imposing drive over cover off Afghan skipper Gulbadin Naib, he had failed to score from only 13 off his 42 deliveries.

But in the space of 11 crazy deliveries – when they lost four wickets for five runs – Sri Lanka’s impressively and entertainingly rebuilt self-esteem started to crumble.

Perera hung in there but he too was fighting a losing battle against Afghanistan’s skilful spinners.

He hit his eighth and final boundary off his 45th delivery – just three balls after he had reached his half-century. He would face 36 more balls without once finding the fence.

Still there were hopes for Sri Lankan fans that he might carry his bat and get his side past 200 beyond.

But, on 78, he was the eighth man out after he tried to reverse-sweep a Rashid Khan googly and succeeded only in gloving the ball to the keeper, Mohammad Shahzad.

Perera’s latest attempt at flying solo for his country had come to a disappointing and to add insult to the disappointment, the rain came soon after his departure.

When Sri Lanka’s innings closed on 201 after the break for rain, Perera’s contribution was thrown into even sharper relief by the fact that the next top score was Extras with 35.

At that stage, the sense was that Perera's effort was more of a face-saving exercise than a glorious match-winning one.
 
4 June - Cardiff - Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha post-match press conference

Q. A much-needed win. Can you explain that batting collapse?
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: Very hard to explain. We were in a very good position at one stage. I think the wicket is such, it's very difficult to start I think. When a batsman is there it looks like easy wicket to bat on, but we lose one wicket and then we lose three wicket in one over. So a lot of tentative shots. We were lack of confidence; what happened lately for us. So I think batters were a little bit tentative at the start. That cause for few dismissals, and then the other guys put panic button on and we also had a suicidal run-out. We allowed them to come into the game.

Q. We just have another two more days for the next game. Quick turnaround. What sort of thing can you tell the players, such as Kusal Mendis, De Silva, Angelo Mathews, who have failed both these games?
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: Yeah, it's very little I can do, but we all know that they experienced players and they will certainly learn from this. Learning in the sense they need to understand what went through between their ears at that point. So it's all about trusting their defense at the start. I'm sure if they get a start, especially Angelo and Mendis, we will score runs in this tournament.

Q. How much of a worry is it that in the first two games only really two batsmen that stood up to be counted. How much of a concern is it going forward?
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: It's all depend on the condition, to be honest. The two pitches that we got here is not ideal for ODI cricket for my mind. If you look at the other teams, other wickets, all the wickets look a little more brown or whiter than this one. This one is too green. Unfortunately we lost because we had to bat first. As I said, once you get in it's easy to bat on, but starting is a bit hard. Hopefully we get better pitches for our batters to start.

Q. Who takes credit picking Pradeep for this game?
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: I don't care who get credit. He got wickets. That matters.

Q. Of course. He bowled fantastically, and Lasith as well.
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: Yeah, that's what you expect from Lasith. He's a world-class performer and steps up when it matters. No one has been really bowling well in the two practise game as well, so he actually single handedly kept us in the game.

Q. What did you make of Afghanistan?
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: Very dangerous side, especially in a tournament like this. Time and time again they have proved that they can be dangerous. They got really good bowling attack, world class players, and I think the conditions suited us for our selection, to be honest. We played fast bowlers; I think that help us.

Q. Did you think it was defendable, despite the collapse you had? Did you think 200 was good enough? And what did you make of Pradeep's performance given the fact that he didn't play in the first game? In hindsight do you look back and say...
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: Yes. The score is never enough. I mean, the way we started, I thought that we end up getting to 300. But at the end, a little bit cameo from Lasith Malinga, and Suranga Lakmal got us 20 runs, I think. Then we expected our seamers to bowl well on this wicket because it has a lot of help for the seamers if you hit the deck hard and hit the seam. But we're disappointed with our batting effort. We have to get better.

Q. Your team did really well to defend their total. What does that mean to you and the team going forward?
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: This give us a lot of confidence because we really needed a win. We haven't got much success lately. I'm sure you will see a better team, better approach from our team after this win. We need this win badly.

Q. Do you sort of give a pep talk to the team the way it collapse in the break? Did that change the momentum?
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: I don't give pep talk. I give honest talk. That's all. I tell them what has to be done. They have to come and perform. That's what they did. Our bowlers really step up when it's matters. All credit to four seamers who bowl really well today.

Q. Lasith has given quite a statement to the press just before the game. Did that get through to the team? People should stop talking about going forward and just say that you need to feel shame about defeat that was there. Do people hear of it and...
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: I'm not sure. When you play for your country there is a lot of pride at stake. They all hurting. I'm sure about that. They really, really want to perform well for the country. What Lasith said, whatever he said is what he believes, and I think all the players get a lot of confidence after this win for sure.

Q. Just on Kusal Perera's performance. Assessment. We've seen a few knocks of that type.
CHANDIKA HATHURUSINGHA: He's an amazing player. We have given him the full licence to bat the way he wants to bat. We know that when he's come up, most of the time it's match winning. He's very clear about his role. So that's the way he's going to play. Some games when you play like that you come what happened in New Zealand game, things like that can happen. If you want to get best out of players like that you have to give them freedom to play the way they can.

======



Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusingha believes that his side’s 34-run DLS victory over Afghanistan can give them confidence to kick-start their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 campaign.

Sri Lanka’s tight win at Cardiff Wales Stadium was only their second ODI win in 11 completed matches, a run that included eight straight defeats.

Hathurusingha said: “This gives us a lot of confidence because we really needed a win. We haven't had much success lately. I'm sure you will see a better team, a better approach from our team after this win. We need this win badly.”

Sri Lanka’s next match is on Friday against Pakistan, conquerors of favourites England, at Bristol County Ground.

Hathurusingha admitted that his batsmen struggled to come to terms with the bowler-friendly conditions, but he could not understand their mid-innings collapse where they lost four wickets for five runs in 11 balls.

He said: “It’s very hard to explain. We were in a very good position at one stage. I think the wicket is such, it's very difficult to start I think. When a batsman is in it looked an easy wicket to bat on, but we lose one wicket and then we lose three wickets in one over.

“There were a lot of tentative shots, that was the cause of some of the dismissals. We’re lacking in confidence because of what happened lately. We allowed them to come into the game.”

Hathurusingha paid tribute to Sri Lanka’s two match-winning bowlers, Nuwan Pradeep, who returned to the side to take career-best ODI figures of four for 31, and veteran Lasith Malinga, who produced two trademark yorkers to clean up Afghanistan’s tail.

He said: “That's what you expect from Lasith. He's a world-class performer and steps up when it matters.

“Nuwan had bowled really well in the two practice games as well and he single-handedly kept us in the game.”

On Sri Lanka’s match-winner with the bat, Kusal Perera, Hathurusingha said: “He's an amazing player. We have given him full licence to bat the way he wants to bat. We know that when he comes off, most of the time it's match winning.”

Hathurusingha does not believe there is much that he can do to inspire his side between now and their next match but he believes the players are desperate to improve.

He said: “When you play for your country there is a lot of pride at stake. They were all hurting [after New Zealand] – I'm sure about that. They really want to perform well for the country.”
 
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4 June - Cardiff - Afghanistan Captain Gulbadin Naib post-match press conference

Q. Is that a match you thought you were on course to win?
NAIB GULBADIN: Yeah, obviously, but not that much because we start not well, especially on the bowling side. So first ten overs we didn't bowl in the right areas, so we missing something there. But in the middle we get it right and get them for 200 something, but still they score a lot on this kind of surface. It's too much. But it's good, especially Rashid and Hamid, how they bowled, but we missed something in the start.

Q. We talked a lot about your batting so far in the tournament. The first five overs, talk us through that, how it went wrong.
NAIB GULBADIN: For our side? Yeah, especially if you face these kind of teams, experience team, so they played a lot of cricket, especially in England, New Zealand, so they face these kind of wickets a lot. So we miss something at the start. Also I kept saying one thing to my guys: just play straight and keep calm on the wicket. Take your time. But maybe they struggle a lot in this kind of surface.

Q. With the bowling, what was the wicket like for your bowlers? What was the problem?
NAIB GULBADIN: Yeah, wicket is suitable for the seamers, but we not bowl in the right areas, especially in the start of the innings. So how they, the batters of Sri Lanka, they played, so I think the bowlers didn't take responsibility at the start of the day, so maybe we missed something.

Q. On the pitch conditions:
NAIB GULBADIN: Yeah, like if you compare this wicket to the Bristol, so it's difficult wicket. It's totally different wicket today. It's cloudy day and also in the middle two hours rain, so the condition suitable for the seamers, but especially in the start the seamers didn't bowl well for us, I think.
 
Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib admitted that his side lost their group stage match to Sri Lanka in the first ten overs.

The Afghans had a magnificent opportunity to register only their second ever ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup victory – and their first against a Test-playing nation – against Sri Lanka.

But wayward bowling at the start allowed Sri Lanka’s openers to plunder 79 off the first ten overs – the most prolific Powerplay of the tournament so far.

In all, Afghanistan gave away 35 extras, which proved to be Sri Lanka’s second top scorer as they secured a nail-biting 34-run rain-affected win on DLS.

Asked if he believed that his side should have won at various stages, Gulbadin said: “Not really because we didn’t start well with the ball and didn’t bowl enough in the right areas in the first 10 overs. I think maybe the bowlers didn’t take enough responsibility.

“We were better in the middle and credit must go to how Rashid Khan, Hamid Hassan and Mohammad Nabi bowled.

“But we missed something at the start and if we didn’t give away 35 extras then maybe Sri Lanka don’t score 201.”

Gulbadin said his side struggled to adapt to the seamer-friendly conditions, adding: “Sri Lanka are an experienced team who have played a lot in these type of conditions whether in New Zealand or England.

“The wicket was completely different to the one we played on against Australia at Bristol. I was telling my guys to play straight and to take their time but they struggle a lot on these kind of surfaces.”

He continued: “We lost some wickets at the start. Me and Najib tried to keep calm, play straight and not to go for the runs. But the main thing is Sri Lanka bowled really well – credit must go to their bowlers.”
 
Discussion is about cricket only - please remember that.
 
Sri Lanka’s experienced bowling attack the key for victory, according to Thisara Perera

Thisara Perera hailed the experience of the Sri Lankan bowling attack after they rescued victory from the jaws of defeat in a low-scoring thriller against Afghanistan in Cardiff.

Sri Lanka made a positive start to their second ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 match after being put into bat and found themselves on 144/1 before collapsing to 201 from 36.5 overs.

Afghanistan required a revised target of 187 from 41 overs following a rain delay, but they slipped to 57/5 in their chase and ultimately fell 34 runs short.

Nuwan Pradeep finished with his best ODI figures after taking 4/31 while Lasith Malinga also starred with the ball (3/39) as Sri Lanka bounced back from their defeat by New Zealand.

And while Thisara admitted his side were far from perfect after another batting disaster, he insisted they always knew they had a chance of success if their bowlers stepped up.

“We all believe in ourselves and we know we have an experienced bowling unit which is why we had five fast bowlers as we have that experience,” he said.

“We all know about this game and we had to take wickets otherwise we lost, so that’s why we had to stick to our basic plans and not do anything extra.

“This wicket helped all of our paces and I think we did pretty well. We were all talking about having to take the wickets, even Lasith [Malinga] and the captain.

“We had to take the wickets otherwise we were losing, so that’s why we all stuck together as a unit and we were focused on taking ten wickets to prevent a loss.

“As a batting unit we are disappointed because we got a nice start and after that we folded and lost five wickets almost back-to-back before the rain delay.

“We know we have some issues as a batting unit and I think we have to try and improve going forward. Hopefully this win will give us confidence for rest of the tournament.”

Having crumbled to 136 all out against the Black Caps three days earlier, Sri Lanka made a strong start with the bat against Afghanistan as Kusal Perera made 78.

Captain Dimuth Karunaratne also struck 30 and Lahiru Thirimanne 25 but Sri Lanka lost seven wickets for 36 runs in the space of 11 overs before rain stopped play.

They lost their remaining two wickets on the resumption of play, leaving Afghanistan with a target of 187 under DSL as they looked for a response to their defeat to Australia in their opener.

However, despite the best efforts of Najibullah Zadran (43) and Hazratullah Zazai (30), Gulbadin Naib’s side were unable to claim their first-ever World Cup win against a Test-playing nation.

Thisara took 1/19 with the ball for Sri Lanka and played a key role in the dismissal of Hazratullah, taking a brilliant catch at long leg, but he stressed the importance of the team effort.

“We had to stay as a unit and we knew to win the match we had to take our chances, so I was delighted to take the catch of Hazratullah Zazai and we also had a run out,” he said.

“As a fielding unit and as a batting unit, I thought we did pretty well. We had to bowl the right length because when we were batting we had a nice start and then after hat we lost wickets.

“That’s why when we were fielding we were keeping the ball in good areas and at a good length, so after that Nuwan Pradeep took crucial wickets.

“We just had to keep our line and length and not panic. If one time you bowl in the right areas we knew that we could take the wickets we need to win.”
 
Yeah unsurprisingly the Afghan boys are abit down in the dumps after another loss, especially this match which they should have won.

Nevermind, I'm sure a little bit of bacha bazi action tonight will soon have them cheered up in no time.
 
Sri Lanka had a strong start to the innings but their collapse was just horrible to see. 4 wickets gone in quick succession. Only Kusal Prera (if i am recalling his name correctly) came out as a capable batsmen.

Afghanis really bowled well and had a proper plan in place.

Afghanis started well as well, the Zazai guy is pretty good but they collapsed even worse than SRL.

I would say one thing that Afghanis in a very short span have managed to garner some impressive performances. I am truly happy to see them rise up so well, Bangla and Ireland were nothing in the short time span Afghan cricket has grown.

SRL on the other hand look like a shadow of their old selves, very poor and imo should be the last placed team in the WC. Pakistan should hope to win the match against them on Friday and with a good margin to fix the NRR mess.
 
Slim said:
Sri Lanka had a strong start to the innings but their collapse was just horrible to see. 4 wickets gone in quick succession. Only Kusal Prera (if i am recalling his name correctly) came out as a capable batsmen.

Afghanis really bowled well and had a proper plan in place.

Afghanis started well as well, the Zazai guy is pretty good but they collapsed even worse than SRL.

I would say one thing that Afghanis in a very short span have managed to garner some impressive performances. I am truly happy to see them rise up so well, Bangla and Ireland were nothing in the short time span Afghan cricket has grown.

SRL on the other hand look like a shadow of their old selves, very poor and imo should be the last placed team in the WC. Pakistan should hope to win the match against them on Friday and with a good margin to fix the NRR mess.
Click to expand...

Shouldn't afghanistan be last placed team since they lost to SRL?
 
Shoaib88 said:
Shouldn't afghanistan be last placed team since they lost to SRL?
Click to expand...

Think they both are candidates for the last position but i have a hunch that SRL might win this one by the end of the competition.
 
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