PALLEKELE: Pathum Nissanka’s century, paired up with Avishka Fernando’s blistering 91 powered Sri Lanka to humble Afghanistan in the third ODI to complete a 3-0 whitewash of the series.
Opting to bat first, Afghanistan registered a decent total of 266 on the board before bundling out in the penultimate over.
Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran gave their side a blazing start, racking up 39 runs in 4.3 overs.
The stand, however, shortlived as Avishka Fernando’s direct hit saw Zadran walking back after scoring 13 off 10 deliveries.
Gurbaz then put together an anchoring second-wicket partnership with Rahmat Shah. The duo added 47 runs before Akila Dananjaya castled the opener in the 18th over.
He fell two short of his half-century, scoring 48 off 57 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and a six.
The touring side then sustained another blow when their skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi fell in the 20th over after managing to score a mere five.
Meanwhile, Rahmat remained steadfast and stitched another vital partnership for Afghanistan when he added 58 runs for the fourth wicket with Azmatullah Omarzai before finally perishing in the 30th over.
Shah remained the top-scorer for Afghanistan with 65 off 77 balls with the help of seven boundaries and a six.
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Omarzai then took the reigns of Afghanistan’s batting charge and knitted a crucial partnership with Ibrahim Alikhil.
Their fifth-wicket partnership yielded 57 runs before both perished in quick succession.
Omarzai scored 54 off 59, laced with four boundaries while Alikhil made 32 in 38 deliveries.
Their back-to-back dismissal ignited a lower-order collapse and Afghanistan lost their remaining five wickets for just 29 runs to ultimately fold on 266.
Pramod Madushan led the bowling attack for Sri Lanka with 3/45, followed by Asitha Fernando, Dunith Wellalage and Dhananjaya, picking up two wickets each.
In return, Sri Lanka comfortably chased down the 267-run target for the loss of three wickets and 88 balls to spare, courtesy of an exquisite start, provided by their openers Nissanka and Fernando.
Avishka Fernando dominated the opening stand with a belligerent knock. He smashed 10 boundaries and five sixes on his way to a 66-ball 91.
But Fernando had an agonizing end to his sensational knock as he mistimed a drive straight to extra cover to fall just nine short of a fourth ODI ton.
Nissanka then joined forces with skipper Kusal Mendis, who made sure to keep the momentum intact with a brisk 40 off just 29 balls.
The pair added 68 runs for the second wicket before both perished in quick succession.
Nissanka top-scored for Sri Lanka with 118 off 101 deliveries, smashing 16 boundaries and two sixes.
Sri Lanka registered a comfortable 42-run win over Afghanistan in the first ODI, followed by a thumping 155-run win in the second.
The two teams will now square off in a three-match T20 series, starting in Dambulla on February 17.
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