Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Highlights, World Cup 2023: Omarzai's 73*, Shahidi's 58* key as AFG cruise to 7-wicket victory

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Samarawickrama is the next man to go and Sri Lanka in dire straits now. Their top order took their own sweet time setting themselves up and just when the time came to accelarate, they are falling. Samarawickrama, to be fair, has been better than the rest. First ball of the 30th from Mujeeb, it drifts in and traps Samarawickrama plumb in front of middle stump. To make things worse, he takes a review, although it looks like he was talked into it by Dhananjaya de Silva. As it was evident in real time, he is gone and so is a review.

Samarawickrama lbw b Mujeeb Ur Rahman 36 (40)

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 139/4 in 29.1 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Mendis falls sweeping once again. The pressure was building and Mendis slog sweeps it straight into the hands of the deep midwicket fielder, who had just been placed there.

Mendis c sub (Najibullah Zadran) b Mujeeb Ur Rahman 39 (50)

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 134/3 in 27.4 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Mendis on 35 off 40, Samarawickrama on 27 off 29. The run rate has touched five now and while there haven't been too many boundaries, the batters have done well rotating the strike. Mujeeb comes back for the 26th over.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 125/2 in 25 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Mohammad Nabi bowling the 23rd over, Samarawickrama come down the track and hits it just out of reach of the fielder at midwicket. What a different Samarawickrama has made since coming on. A run off the next ball. Samarawickrama is on 20 off 21 and Mendis is on 32 off 36.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 115/2 in 23 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Samarawickrama is the man in form and he is showing it. Length ball outside off, Samarawickrama leans into the drive and sends the ball careening through extra cover.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 98/2 in 21 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Too short from Omarzai fourth ball of the 21st, Samarawickrama pulls it emphatically towards deep midwicket.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Just eight fours thus far, which tells you the pace at which this innings is going. There is dew that is going to set in later in the day so Sri Lanka do need a good score on board here. Wonder if they are planning to have a hot go in the last 15 odd overs.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: The dismissal isn't strange, Nissanka takes a waft at a truly wonderful delivery from Azmatullah. Back of a length and nipped back in, it goes the keeper and Afghanistan celebrate, umpire raises his finger as well for the caught behind. What is strange is everything that happened after that. Normally batters go up straightaway if they are sure they didn't nick it, but Nissanka walks up to Mendis and takes all the time in the world to talk. Then it is Mendis who asks for the review and it seems square leg umpire Chris Gaffney even started going up before his colleague Richard Illingworth comes in and says that is not valid. Nissanka gestured for the DRS just after Mendis but by that time, the clock ran out. It had to be the batter taking the review not his partner, even if the latter is the captain. And why in the world was the conversation happening in the first place if Nissanka was sure he didn't nick it. All too strange but in the end, a good innings comes to an end, Nissanka misses out on a half-century and the partnership ends on 62 off 77.

Nissanka c Gurbaz b Omarzai 46 (60)

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 84/2 in 18.1 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Azmatullah Omarzai bowling the 17th, the third ball is back of a length and too wide, Mendis times it perfectly to the cover boundary.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: It has come in 65 balls. Nissanka is on 43 off 54, Mendis on 13 off 22.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 72/1 in 16 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Sri Lanka still going at about 4.40 but this is a good steady stand that they have going. Naveen has been expensive, conceding 22 runs in three overs. And now at last, Rashid Khan comes in to bowl in his 100th ODI.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 66/1 in 15 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Naveen goes a bit too wide and Mendis cuts it away, it races through the backward point region to the boundary.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 64/1 in 14.3 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Nissanka on 30 off 37, Mendis on four off 14. The run rate has picked up to over 4 but there is still a meditative air around this innings.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 50/1 in 12 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Mujeeb taken off after the 10th over, having bowled five of them while the other five have been bowled by Farooqi. Nissanka on 24 off 29, Mendis on 2 off 10.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 41/1 in 10 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Mendis yet to get off the mark after five balls, Nissanka on 13 off 22. Sri Lanka are going at 3.50 at the moment, taking their own time.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 28/1 in 8 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: The very next ball darts in on Karunaratne and takes his pads. Big appeal for LBW turned down and Shahidi takes the review. No bat involved and ball tracking shows that middle and leg would have been rattled.

Karunaratne lbw b Fazalhaq Farooqi 15 (21)

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 22/1 in 5.2 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Karunaratne has been trying to get that shot away and he gets it first ball of the sixth. First boundary of the day. Full and wide from Farooqi and Karunaratne carves it through extra cover.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 22/0 in 5.1 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Alikhil is sitting out in the end with Rahmanullah Gurbaz taking the gloves. No boundaries in the first three overs, in fact there haven't really been any real attempt at hitting a boundary yet from the two batters. Playing the waiting game.

AFG vs SL Live Score: Sri Lanka 10/0 in 3 overs

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Ikram Alikhil is walking off here, not looking good at all for Afghanistan. He was trying to get to a throw off the fifth ball of the second over bowled by Farooqi and the ball hits the tip of his right little finger. Slight delay as he goes off and they wait on whether he can come back on.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Two runs each for Karunaratne and Nissanka, no flashy stuff. That is why Karunaratne is there for Sri Lanka, they need some solidity and steadiness at the top of the order.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Right then, Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne open for Sri Lanka. Afghanistan start out with spin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowling the first over.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: First comes Sri Lanka's national anthem and then Afghanistan's. Smattering of crowd only in the stands. Might fill up later in the day though, it is a Monday after all.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: He says that Sri Lanka were looking to bat first anyhow, put up a good score on the board and defend. "In the last three matches, we have done well in all three parts, batting, bowling and fielding and we would like to do well again," he said. He confirms that Chameera is playing and "hopefully, he will do well". Mendis further says that Perera is not playing and Karunaratne comes in his place. "He played well in the qualifier matches and I have confidence in him," he said.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Shahidi says that he expects dew to come in later in the day based on the practice sessions they had. “We are feeling comfortable, we are playing good cricket. Right now, we are focusing on how we are going to play good cricket,” he further said.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Live Score, AFG vs SL World Cup 2023: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(w/c), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka