Afghanistan 209 for 5 (Gurbaz 70, Dananjaya 2-37) beat Sri Lanka 206 for 5 (Kamindu 65*, Nissanka 60, Nabi 2-35) by three runs
In a nail-biting encounter, Afghanistan emerged victorious by a slim margin of 3 runs in the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka. The win, however, couldn't alter the series outcome as Sri Lanka had already secured victory in the first two matches.
Afghanistan withstood onslaughts at both ends of the innings, first from Pathum Nissanka and then Kamindu Mendis, to close this nervy three-run victory over Sri Lanka in the third T20I in Dambulla. It means Afghanistan end the series on a high, securing their solitary victory at the last time of asking; Sri Lanka win the series 2-1.
The difference in the end proved to be the final two deliveries of the respective innings. Afghanistan, having elected to bat first, struck 10 runs off their final two balls courtesy debutant Mohammed Ishaq to push their total to 209 for 5. Sri Lanka in their response ended up needing 10 off 2, but Kamindu could only manage six - that too coming off the final delivery of the game.
The match saw Afghanistan batting first and posting a formidable total of 209/5 in their 20 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the standout performer for Afghanistan with a blazing knock of 70 runs. Sri Lankan bowlers faced a tough challenge, with Akila Dananjaya and Matheesha Pathirana picking up two wickets each.
Chasing a challenging target, Sri Lanka started aggressively with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis providing a solid foundation. Nissanka's explosive 60-run knock set the stage, but it was Kamindu Mendis who kept the chase alive with a resilient unbeaten 65. However, Sri Lanka lost wickets at crucial junctures, and the late surge wasn't enough to seal the win.
In the end, Sri Lanka fell short by just 3 runs, finishing at 206/6 in their 20 overs. Mohammad Nabi starred with the ball for Afghanistan, claiming 2 crucial wickets.
Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lanka captain is also the Player of the Series: We played good cricket in the first two games. Credit goes to our bowlers and the batters. (On the players who came in today) We just wanted to see how they perform and that is why we made four changes.
Ibrahim Zadran, Afghanistan captain: I am happy with the win. Unfortunately, we lost the series. Feeling great after the game today. (On the score) It was a good total we put up on the board. Hazrat and Gurbaz gave us good momentum and we wanted to carry it through. (On the changes they made) We wanted to give chances to the players who did not play. We are going to the T20 World Cup and we wanted to try out players. If you look at the first game, we played well but could not win, and we won today. We have lots of positives to take (from this series) and take it into the T20 World Cup.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Player of the Match: (How pleasing was his innings today) To be honest, it was (quite pleasing). It was a really hard time for me, I had not scored (before in the series). I was under pressure but I tried to go in today and play my natural game. I took responsibility and I think that was the reason. (On what he prefers - chasing or batting first) I don't mind. Whenever I have a good day, I can chase and set a total. I hope we learn from the mistakes we did here and I hope we don't repeat it moving forward.
In a nail-biting encounter, Afghanistan emerged victorious by a slim margin of 3 runs in the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka. The win, however, couldn't alter the series outcome as Sri Lanka had already secured victory in the first two matches.
Afghanistan withstood onslaughts at both ends of the innings, first from Pathum Nissanka and then Kamindu Mendis, to close this nervy three-run victory over Sri Lanka in the third T20I in Dambulla. It means Afghanistan end the series on a high, securing their solitary victory at the last time of asking; Sri Lanka win the series 2-1.
The difference in the end proved to be the final two deliveries of the respective innings. Afghanistan, having elected to bat first, struck 10 runs off their final two balls courtesy debutant Mohammed Ishaq to push their total to 209 for 5. Sri Lanka in their response ended up needing 10 off 2, but Kamindu could only manage six - that too coming off the final delivery of the game.
The match saw Afghanistan batting first and posting a formidable total of 209/5 in their 20 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the standout performer for Afghanistan with a blazing knock of 70 runs. Sri Lankan bowlers faced a tough challenge, with Akila Dananjaya and Matheesha Pathirana picking up two wickets each.
Chasing a challenging target, Sri Lanka started aggressively with Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis providing a solid foundation. Nissanka's explosive 60-run knock set the stage, but it was Kamindu Mendis who kept the chase alive with a resilient unbeaten 65. However, Sri Lanka lost wickets at crucial junctures, and the late surge wasn't enough to seal the win.
In the end, Sri Lanka fell short by just 3 runs, finishing at 206/6 in their 20 overs. Mohammad Nabi starred with the ball for Afghanistan, claiming 2 crucial wickets.
Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lanka captain is also the Player of the Series: We played good cricket in the first two games. Credit goes to our bowlers and the batters. (On the players who came in today) We just wanted to see how they perform and that is why we made four changes.
Ibrahim Zadran, Afghanistan captain: I am happy with the win. Unfortunately, we lost the series. Feeling great after the game today. (On the score) It was a good total we put up on the board. Hazrat and Gurbaz gave us good momentum and we wanted to carry it through. (On the changes they made) We wanted to give chances to the players who did not play. We are going to the T20 World Cup and we wanted to try out players. If you look at the first game, we played well but could not win, and we won today. We have lots of positives to take (from this series) and take it into the T20 World Cup.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Player of the Match: (How pleasing was his innings today) To be honest, it was (quite pleasing). It was a really hard time for me, I had not scored (before in the series). I was under pressure but I tried to go in today and play my natural game. I took responsibility and I think that was the reason. (On what he prefers - chasing or batting first) I don't mind. Whenever I have a good day, I can chase and set a total. I hope we learn from the mistakes we did here and I hope we don't repeat it moving forward.
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