Batter Pathum Nissanka made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan batter to score a double century in the 50-over format. He achieved this feat against Afghanistan in the first ODI.
With a score of 210, Nissanka also secured the highest individual score in Sri Lanka’s ODI history, surpassing Sanath Jayasuria’s iconic 189 against India in 2000.
Nissanka’s innings included 20 fours and 8 sixes, leading Sri Lanka to a total of 381/3.
Opener Avishka Fernando scored 88, while Sadeera Samarawickrama contributed 45 runs. The pick of the bowlers was Fareed Ahmad Malik, who took 2 wickets for 79 runs.
Earlier, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to field in the opener of a three-match one-day international series at Pallekele on Friday. Sri Lanka included opening batter Nissanka, who missed the only test match due to illness. Afghanistan had four seam bowlers hoping to take advantage of pitch conditions at Palleleke.
Afghanistan will be confident going into the game after its convincing seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka in last year’s World Cup tournament in India. In that match, powered by fifties from Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Azmatullah Omarzai, Afghanistan powered to their third win in the World Cup. Left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi took a four-wicket haul and restricted Sri Lanka to 241 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Nissanka was the top scorer again for Sri Lanka with 46 while Angelo Mathews and Maheesh Theekshana chipped in with cameos at the end but that was not enough to take them over 250.