Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Highlights, 2nd T20: Angelo Mathews fires with bat and ball as SL muscle AFG by 72 runs to clinch series

Maheesh Theekshana to Naveen-ul-Haq, a quicker delivery wide outside the off stump, stabbed down short third for four runs. A boundary too late for the Afghans as the chase is anything but alive at this point, so isn't the hope to claim a series win for the Afghans. 107/8 after 15 overs.

Now it's Hasaranga who deals up the twin blows in one over. First, Najibullah Zadran is bowled as he attempts a slog sweep. 100 wickets for the Sri Lankan skipper in T20 cricket. Then, Karim Janat is caught off a googly. 101/8 after 14 overs.

Matheesha Pathirana into his second over. Clocks upto 152KPH and all Najibullah Zadran has to do is tap it down the short third for four. By now, the slinga must realise, it's the pace taken off the ball that's helped bowlers on this wicket. 11 runs from that over, which included three wides. 80/6, Afghanistan after 11 overs.

Dasun Shanaka into the attack. Seam up delivert with the pace taken off it, and Mohammad Nabi - looking to drive it - gets a thick edge onto it for Kusal Mendis to catch it behind the stumps. A fine catch from the keeper and a sixth wickets falls for the Afghans. 70/6 after 10 overs.

Wanindu Hasaranga brings himself into the attack. And Mohammad Nabi shows positive intent against him, straightaway. Tossed up, wrong un that's walloped straight back over the bowler's head for a mighty six. 11 runs collected from the over, Afghanistan are 64/5 after nine overs.

This has been a disappointing collapse to watch so far. Mohammad Nabi and Karim Janat have been put down the deep end fairly early into their chase. And they're taking little risks as of now. A delivery too full from Matheesha Pathirana is what brings out a cover drive from Nabi that ends a 16-ball boundary drought. Fifty up for Afghanistan. 53/5 after eight overs.

Oh dear!

This is turning into an abject surrender by the visitors, pretty much sums up their tour. Binura Fernando with twin strikes in his first over. Gulbadin Naib, off the first ball of the over, goes for a gung-ho heave but one of his hand comes off the handle as he miscues it straight to the fielder at mid on. 

Next, Azmatullah Omarzai looks to go for a drive but gets an inside edge and drags it down to his stumps. Half of the Afghanistan team are back in the hut. 36/5 after five overs.

Maheesh Theekshana into his first over. Gurbaz drills him wide of the man at cover for four. The next one was pinned on his pads and the Afghan swashbuckling opener - looking to continue his counter-attack - misses the line altogether and is trapped plumb. 30/3 after four overs.

Hazaratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz walk into the middle to kickstart Afghanistan's chase of 188. Angelo Mathews has the new ball for Sri Lanka. The veteran all-rounder had lit the fireworks with the bat, and he does the same with the ball in his opening spell.

A soft dismissal to start with as Zazai pokes a delivery outside the off stump to be caught behind by Kusal Mendis. In his next over, Ibrahim Zadran also finds the fielder at mid off. Both openers back in the hut after three overs, 21/2.

Naveen-ul-Haq entrusted to bowl the last over, almost manages to remove Angelo Mathews is dropped by Mohammad Nabi. Afghanistan pay for it as Mathews thumps the next one for six. Samarawickrama gets to a first T20I fifty with a boundary of his own but his innings comes to an end with an ugly hit wicket off the last ball. Sri Lanka surely looked on course for 200 but given the hitches in the middle, 187/6 doesn't seem bad at all.

Angelo Matthews flexes his big hitting muscles off Azmatullah Omarzai's last over. The medium battery has barely put a foot wrong, giving away only 19 up until this over and striking twice. But he's carved for three sixes in a row in the 19th over. Two length balls, shovelled over mid wicket and backward square leg respectively before a slower one is dealt with over mid wicket again. 21 off the over.

15 runs from the Naveen-ul-Haq over. Samarawickrama sets it up by swatting a length ball over the square leg fielder, who has come inside the circle for the over. Then, an Angelo Mathews cover drive for four more. Finally, a slower one and wide delivery, catches an outside edge and goes flying past the fielder at short third for four more. 150 up for Sri Lanka.

Angelo Mathews gets into the act. Can he be the finisher for Sri Lanka on the night? A slower short one from Fazalhaq Farooqi and Matthews, standing deep in his crease, laps it down backward point for four runs. Nine from the 17th over, Sri Lanka are 138/5.

Sri Lanka need some boundaries to get some momentum in for a final push in this innings, and they might have just got the one that starts it all. Karim Janat to Sadeera Samarawickrama, who's been in the middle for 31 deliveries now. A length ball, angling into the right hander, slow enough for the batter to shuffle to his right and lap it down fine leg for four. Inventive and crucial from the hosts' standpoint. 129/5 after 16 overs.

Azmatullah Omarzai is back into the attack, and it's a move that works for Afghanistan. Charith Asalanka, looks to chip the ball but gets only one hand on the bat as he does so, ending up being holed at deep cover. Half of the Sri Lankan team are back in the hut. 122/5 after 15 overs.

Mohammad Nabi bowls, Ibrahim Zadran catches. That combination again for Afghanistan as Sri Lanka go four down. A tossed up, slower one from the offie and the Sri Lankan skipper stays deep in his crease and looks to club it straight down the ground but is holed at long on. 112/4, Sri Lanka after 12 overs.

Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga is the new batter in for Sri Lanka. And he goes straight after Noor Ahmed - a six hammered over mid wicket followed by a slap shot behind square on the off side for four. 15 runs picked in the 11th over and Sri Lanka bring up their 100.

DDS has played more preemptive than reactive in his innings so far, and it is his unbecoming in Dambulla. Mohammad Nabi, with all his nous, has foreseen the Lankan dancing down the track, which he does, and hence the dragged-back length comes good. A lofted-drive looked was what Dhanajaya seemed to be going for, but he gets a toe end onto the ball and is caught by Ibrahim Zadran. 

Afghanistan have put the spinners on from both ends. Mohammed Nabi and Noor Ahmed. Dhananjaya de Silva gets that first boundary now, off Nabi. Not as aesthetic as that cover drive off Karim Janat was, rather a miscue, but he'd take that. Noor Ahmed on the other hand, has got off to a more miserly start - five from his first over. 82/2 after nine overs.

Right-arm medium pacer Karim Janat comes into the attack. Offers a juicy half-volley to Sadeera Samarawickrama straight off the bat, which is rightly punished with a cover drive for four. Later in the over, Dhananjaya de Silva drives one over cover but the ball, racing to the boundary, is cut in time by Noor Ahmed to save a run. Regardless, a good over for the Lankans - 13 runs picked off it. 68/2 after seven overs.

A good comeback from Sri Lanka after the early barrage of boundaries. Two wickets and almost two overs without a boundary. Naveen-ul-Haq wraps up the powerplay with just the two runs from the sixth over. Sri Lanka though still in a good position as the field restrictions are lifted in Dambulla. 55/2 after 6 overs.

Afghanistan with double strikes and both the openers are back in the hut. First Azmatullah Omarzai flushes Kusal Mendis on the pads swiftly followed by main man Pathum Nissanka - not anticipating a slower one - spooning a dolly to Noor Ahmed at backward point. 

Nissanka continues the onslaught. Naveen-ul-Haq replaces Fazalhaq Farooqi in the third over but the Sri Lankan opener meets the right-armer with the same treatment. Naveen shifts from short length, to wide line, to a length ball on the pads, but Nissanka smothers them all for four. Even Kusal Mendis, who also finds his first boundary of the match. 17 runs from the over. 34/0 after three overs.

Assist. Coach Raees Khan Ahmadzai and the skipper Ibrahim Zadran give AfghanAtalan a quick huddle talk ahead of the 2nd T20I. ?#AfghanAtalan | #FutureStars pic.twitter.com/UxFXXehwDq

— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) February 19, 2024

A fine start for Sri Lanka. Two boundaries from Nissanka in the first over. One flick down the mid wicket and then, a slice through the covers. That one was creamed. A mighty fine batter, at the peak of his powers. 11/0 after the first over.

Fazalhaq Farooqi with the new ball in his hands. Afghanistan feel they'd be better suited to chase here. Question is, how early can their bowlers wrap up the Sri Lankan batting. On strike is the best host batter in the ODIs, Pathum Nissanka. First ball, length, drifting away down the leg, and the right-hander flicks it uppish and safe down mid wicket for four. The hosts are off the mark in style.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga(c), Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran(c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Afghanistan win the toss and opt to bowl first.

Captaining the team in the first T20I, Wanindu Hasaranga scored a 32-ball 67 (7 fours and 3 sixes) and 1-20 from 4 overs to lead the hosts to a four-run win. A true all-rounder's outing. It's the role many in Sri Lanka Cricket have anticipated him to pick up for a while now, owing to his antics in franchise cricket.

1st Test: Sri Lanka win by 10 wickets

1st ODI: Sri Lanka win by 42 runs

2nd ODI: Sri Lanka win by 155 runs

3rd ODI: Sri Lanka win by seven wickets

1st T20I: Sri Lanka win by four runs

Five games into their all-format tour of Sri Lanka, Afghanistan are yet to win a match and are on the precipice of losing the T20 series, having already faltered in the one off Test and the ODIs before. The hosts have excelled in all departments and have handed a drubbing to the visitors. 

Following their respective outings at the ODI World Cups last year - and in recent times - it was expected that this would be an exciting match up. It has been anything but. Do the Afghans have one last trick up their sleeves to prevent a T20 series loss or will it be business as usual? Stay tuned as we bring you all the updates from the second T20I between the two at Dambulla.