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Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, World Cup 2019: Talking Points
Sri Lanka prevailed in a rain-curtailed game.
Angelo Mathews' poor form carries on
Ever since the departure of players like Jayawardene and Sangakkara from the Sri Lankan team, the side is struggling to find consistent world-class batters in the middle order. It was expected that Angelo Mathews would carry forward that legacy forward, but he has terribly disappointed since the last World Cup. He has played only 49 ODIs out of the 86 his team have played in the last four years, and was out for his second duck when Mohammad Nabi scalped his wicket. His form or rather the lack of it spells doom for a team already struggling in the batting department.
Mohammad Nabi's sensational bowling
Mohammad Nabi was brought into the attack even as the rivals were on a rampage. He was expected to get some crucial wickets, which is exactly what he did when he scalped 4 wickets to derail Lanka's batting line-up. He tossed the ball up, did not vary his line or length much and made use of some good angles, which proved difficult for the batters.
Nuwan Pradeep rises to the occasion
The Sri Lankan attack bowled like a dream under overcast conditions with Nuwan Pradeep and Lasith Malinga stealing the show. The former, in particular, provided crucial wickets in intervals. With a smooth run-up and a formidable action, he proved too tough to handle for the Afghans. He bowled an accurate length regularly to end with 4 for 31.
