Sri Lanka defeats Afghanistan with a 323 for six score

Hambantota, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka put on a better batting performance against Afghanistan in the second one-day international on Sunday, reaching 323 for six in 50 overs.

After winning the toss, vice-captain Kusal Mendis led Sri Lanka’s innings with a score of 78 off 75 balls, including seven fours and a six.

Mendis reached his first 50 in seven innings in 2023.

Before Mendis arrived, openers Dimuth Karunaratne (52) and Pathum Nissanka (43) shared 82 runs for the first wicket. Mendis needed some time to settle in before unleashing some graceful shots.

For Karunaratne, who is vying for a position in the lineup for the World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe this month, it was a critical half-century.

Afghanistan has already qualified for this year’s championship match in India and is practicing its lineups.

For the third wicket, Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama contributed 88 runs. Samarawickrama is taking the field for Sri Lanka for the first time in more than three years, and their pairing helped the team to cling on after a promising start.

While Mendis continued to score at the top of the order before being magnificently caught by wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz off the bowling of Fareed Ahmad, Samarawickrama was dismissed for 44.

With 109 runs scored in the final 10 overs, great hitting from Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, and Wanindu Hasaranga helped Sri Lanka exceed 300, a score that might win the game.