SL vs AFG 1st ODI Results

1:07 PM IST Right then, that is it from this game. Afghanistan take a 1-0 lead in the series and the Lankans will be eager to get back to level terms in the next game. The 2nd ODI will be played on 4th June, Sunday at 10 am IST (4.30 am GMT), but as you know you can join us early for all the build-up. Until then, Cheers and Goodbye!

1:07 PM IST Hashmatullah Shahidi, the victorious skipper of Afghanistan says that it feels really well to end up on the winning side and the team performed really well. He adds that after early wickets DDS and Asalanka batted well but the team recovered well and broke the partnership when it was needed the most.  He adds that the bowlers were really good today and the bowling at depth overs was crucial in restricting the opponents to such a total. He also adds that Ibrahim Zadran is a match-winner and the team has the utmost confidence in him, so it feels happy that he is rewarded for his hard work and the team won.

1:06 PM IST Dasun Shanaka, the captain of Sri Lanka says that the plan was to play positive cricket but to lose four wicket upfront was not ideal. Adds that this wicket played very well and a total of 300 or more would have been par here. Tells that he feels they could have got more runs and bowled well too but the injury of Lahiru Kumara was a setback. Mentions that Matheesha Pathirana is coming from the Indian T20 League to international cricket which is not an easy task but they will stick with him as they want to have a look at him before the qualifiers. Ends by saying that they need to win games but the qualifiers are important and that they will rotate the bowlers in this series.

1:05 PM IST Ibrahim Zadran is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his brilliant knock. He says missing out on a century in such a manner is really hard but happy for the victory of the team. He also adds that the credit must go to the bowlers as the bowlers did brilliantly to restrict Sri Lanka below 300. He also adds that 269 was a good score but not that massive and his partnership with Rahmat Shah made the target an easy task. He adds that he and Rahmat Shah planned the situation well and the main motto was to keep rotating the strike and not go out blistering on every delivery but play everything on its merit.

12:55 PM IST Presentation Time...

12:54 PM IST Earlier in the game, after being put to bat first, Sri Lanka also did not get the perfect start but the fifties from DDS and Charith Asalanka along with contributions from Pathum Nissanka and Dushan Hemantha got them to a decent total but they know they could have got more. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad were the standouts for Afghanistan with two wickets each. In reply, the visitors made this chase look like a cakewalk for the most part of it. The partnership between Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran took the game away from the Lankans and they never really looked like a threat to the Afghans.