DHAKA: After being 3 for 3 in Canberra, Afghanistan showed considerable improvement across the other side of the Tasman in Dunedin as they posted 232 to ensure that Sri Lanka would have to keep their wits about them to open their World Cup account.
The innings was given substance by a third-wicket stand of 88 between Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari and at 128 for 2 in the 28th over a total of 250-plus was certainly within reach, but when Stanikzai's run-a-ball half-century ended no one was able to take up the mantle and the last eight wickets fell for 104.
They were suffocated in the batting Powerplay which brought 10 for 2 against Lasith Malinga and Suranga Lakmal with just five runs off the bat in the five overs. Still, it was a far from convincing display by Sri Lanka with the ball - as they
conceded 16 wides - or in the field where they continued to look off the pace.
It was no surprise that Angelo Mathews inserted after winning the toss. There had been heavy rain the previous night, it was an overcast morning and the ball had moved significantly when New Zealand faced Scotland. However, there was less swing on offer for Sri Lanka's new-ball pair although the opening four overs brought just four runs.
The pressure was released when Javed Ahmadi collected consecutive boundaries off a still under-par Malinga and in the next over Nawroz Mangal, who had been promoted to open in a reshuffle of the order with Afsar Zazai pushed down to the middle, was given a life when Mahela Jayawardene spilled a catch, diving to his right at second slip.
Mangal could not cash in on the reprieve, though, when he drove Mathews' first to short cover. It was shot selection which proved the downfall of Afghanistan's batsmen rather than outstanding bowling - in that sense they were staying true to themselves in not taking a backward step - although the top edge from Ahmadi which found midwicket was reward for Lakmal's probing spell.
Stanikzai's response to the wickets was to larrup a six over midwicket - which was caught one-handed in the crowd - but by and large the partnership between him and Shenwari was encouragingly selective. There was less block-to-bash and a little more working the field, although the bad ball - of which Thisara Perera delivered plenty in his first spell of the tournament - were effectively dealt with.
Shenwari had one lucky moment, on 25, when he survived a DRS review for lbw by the narrowest of margins. The ball was smashing into leg stump, but it was a hair's breadth away from 50% of the ball - one of the prime examples for the argument that a team should not lose a review under such tight circumstances; neither was it a good on-field decision.
When the spinners operated in tandem, Stanikazi shunned his helmet then brought up his fifty off 50 balls with a thumping straight drive against Herath only to give his wicket away when he lofted the same bowler down to long on. Shenwari had been playing the anchor role and having used up 69 deliveries, plus with signs of Mohammad Nabi finding his range, needed to hold his nerve but tried to break free and drove a catch to mid-off.
Nabi had clouted consecutive balls for four and six against Perera but he fell four deliveries into the Powerplay when he swiped across the line at Malinga. Najibullah Zadran lived up to his coach's words when he got off the mark with a third-ball six just as Andy Moles was telling the TV audience that "he can't block a ball to save his life." There was plenty of effort in his 15-ball stay, but little reward when the pressure told and he skied to mid-off.
There was, however, still a little bit of life left in the innings as Mirwais Ashraf brought up the 200 with a hooked six and collected another off a meaty outside edge which carried over third man. But in total, the last 19.4 overs of the innings brought only 82 runs.
Source: ESPNcricinfo
BDST: 0855 HRS, FEB 22, 2015
