Innings break Sri Lanka 268 (Asalanka 91, Dhananjaya 51, Fareed 2-43) vs Afghanistan

Fazalhaq Farooqi made the first incisions, dismissing opener Dimuth Karunaratne and No. 3 Kusal Mendis inside the first nine overs, though he would go on to bowl some expensive spells later, finishing with an economy rate of 6.44. Fareed Ahmad also took two wickets - that of Angelo Mathews in the 15th over, and of debutant Dushan Hemantha at the death.

Everyone else - Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Mohammad Nabi, and Azmatullah Omarzai - took one wicket apiece. While Noor went for runs, Mujeeb and Nabi kept a lid on the scoring through Sri Lanka's middle overs. Omarzai bowled the last over, in which Sri Lanka mustered only four runs but lost three wickets - two of them to run-outs.

Having come to the crease at 61 for 3, Asalanka had a jittery start. He survived a caught-behind review off the sixth ball he faced, before getting into his work, hitting three fours off successive overs. Asalanka was proactive - though not quite aggressive - by picking up singles as he awaited Afghanistan's errors.

When Dhananjaya joined him at the other end, he too batted at a similar tempo. The early fall of wickets - Sri Lanka had been 84 for 4 when these two came together - did not allow either batter to free his arms. They progressed without any fuss through the middle overs - Asalanka prospered through midwicket and cover, while Dhananjaya found boundaries behind square on the off side, though he also played the legside flick effectively.

Asalanka got to his fifty with consecutive fours off Mujeeb in the 36th over, reaching the milestone off the 57th ball he faced. Dhananjaya got there next over, off his 56th ball. But he was soon bowled by the canny Nabi, who slid one quickly underneath the batter's attempted sweep shot.

The pair's 99-run stand had delivered Sri Lanka to the doorstep of the death overs, but Asalanka had only stinting support once Dhananjaya fell at the start of the 38th over. Dasun Shanaka managed only 17, before Noor - his Gujarat Titans team-mate at the IPL - sneaked one into his off stump. Hemantha then struck the only six of the innings - that came as late as the penultimate over - high over cow corner, but was out for 22 off 20 balls.

Two overs out, Sri Lanka were 256 for 6, with a total of 280 not out of reach. But they fell meekly after that, Asalanka getting himself run-out attempting to take a bye to start the final over, after Hemantha had holed out to mid-off three balls earlier.