Mahela ton ensures win for Sri Lanka

Press Trust of India

Dunedin, Feb 22: A spirited Afghanistan gave the Sri Lankans a mighty scare but veteran batsman Mahela Jayawardene (100, 120b, 8×4. 1×6) struck a resilient century to help the islanders pull off a scrappy four- wicket win over the World Cup debutants, here Sunday.

Chasing a target of 233 at the University Oval ground here, Sri Lanka were reduced to 51 for four and a possible upset was on the cards but then Jayawardena and Angelo Mathews (44, 81b, 2×4) stitched together a partnership of 126 runs to rescue the side. After their dismissal Thisara Perera (47 n o, 26b, 6×4, 1×6) finished the game off in a jiffy.

Earlier put into bat, Afghan top-order batsman Asghar Stanikzai (54, 57b, 5×4, 1×6) scored a sparkling half century displaying an array of strokes. His third wicket stand of 88 runs with Samiuallah Shenwari (38, 70b, 5×4) helped the team past the 200-run mark. However, the other batsmen of the side were always struggling against the pace of Lasith Malinga (3/41) and the swing of Mathews (3/41).

Brief Scores: Afghanistan 232 (Asghar Stanikzai 54; Lasith Malinga 3/41, Angelo Mathews 3/41) lost to Sri Lanka 236/6 (Mahela Jayawardene 100, Thisara Perera 47 n o; Hamid Hassan 3/45) by four wickets