At the Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, where the one-off Test is now taking place, Afghanistan’s bowlers impressed batter Dinesh Chandimal of Sri Lanka for their performance in the second innings.
After winning the toss and bowling first, Sri Lanka easily defeated Afghanistan by a score of 198. After that, the hosts amassed a massive 439 runs in their opening half. With ten boundaries and a maximum to help him reach 107, Dinesh Chandimal was a key player in Sri Lanka’s opening innings. Together with Angelo Mathews, who has scored 141 runs with 14 fours and three sixes, he also forged an important partnership.
“The bowling of the Afghanistan bowlers deserves a great deal of praise. Throughout the entire inning, they performed admirably. Even in my collaboration with Angelo Mathews, who scored 141, there were moments when I helped him and moments when he helped me through tough times, according to a comment from Chandimal that ESPNCricinfo used.
“Despite the fact that many of their bowlers lack international experience, they bowled quite well. Particularly impressive were the seamers and the left-arm spinner. Their seamen kept their enthusiasm and body language consistent from yesterday morning to the end of play. It was wise of them to limit us.
Dinesh Chandimal also discussed the manner in which the seamers from Afghanistan bowled and the discipline they displayed all day.
“There weren’t many balls where we could move forward and drive for four, if you take my hundred or Angelo’s hundred. There may or may not have been a single driven four off the seamers. They either bowled well-lengthened or short to us. They maintained discipline throughout the day,” he continued.
The 34-year-old went on to address Hashmatullah Shahidi’s remark, according to which Afghanistan may become a more competitive Test nation if given more opportunities to play. Notably, they are playing their seventh game in the longest version of the game right now against Sri Lanka.
“Their captain made the correct statement. They will be a far better team in four or five years if they are given more chances to play Test matches. We face a challenge from them, and I hope the best for their future,” Dinesh Chandimal said in closing.