SL vs AFG, Test: Sri Lanka openers take command in opposition to Afghanistan on Day 1

Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka placed on 80 fast runs within the first day’s ultimate session to unnerve Afghanistan of their one-off Test Friday.

The speedy partnership between Karunaratne (42) and Madushka (36) within the final 14 overs of the day left Sri Lanka trailing by 118 however the vacationer wicketless.

It reached stumps in Colombo with a 5.71 run fee, vindicating new captain Dhananjaya de Silva’s pledge to pursue an aggressive technique.

Afghanistan was all out for 198 after tea with left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando taking 4 wickets and three apiece from spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and medium paceman Asitha Fernando.

The vacationer was 109-2 after mainstay Rahmat Shah steadied it after a shaky begin however Sri Lanka’s bowlers started to make inroads after lunch. Vishwa discovered sideways deliveries to hassle the Afghans, who misplaced their final six wickets for 43 runs — Asitha clearing the ultimate two in three deliveries.

“We have got off to a good start,” Vishwa instructed reporters, “We need to bat for two days and get a big lead and then we have the spinners to bowl them out in the second innings.”

Rahmat, Afghanistan’s most skilled participant who has featured in all their earlier seven Tests, top-scored with an aggressive 91 that featured 13 boundaries.

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A terrific one-handed catch from Sadeera Samarawickrama despatched Rahmat again after a failed paddle sweep on a ball pitched on off-stump by Jayasuriya.

Vishwa took an excellent return catch to dismiss opening batsman Noor Ali Zadran for 31, breaking his 57-run stand for the second wicket with Rahmat.

“The wicket wasn’t favouring seamers as much as we thought it would,” Vishwa stated, “We told ourselves that we will just bowl good lines and wait till the batsmen make the mistake.”

Noor was making his debut on the uncommon age of 35. Nisha Madushka at gully took a low catch to dismiss Ikram Alikhil for 21. Opener Ibrahim Zadran fell for a duck within the day’s second ball.

The match, which isn’t a part of the World Test Championship (WTC), will likely be adopted by three ODIs in Kandy and three T20 matches in Dambulla.

Sri Lanka has a full tour slate for the yr together with a three-Test sequence in England. De Silva was appointed Sri Lanka’s captain final month and is aiming to carry the crew’s Test rankings after it slipped to eighth final week.