SL vs AFG: Pathum Nissanka Makes History with First Double Century by a Sri Lankan Player in ODI Cricket
In the first ODI against Afghanistan, Pathum Nissanka stole the show for Sri Lanka by smashing a double century, marking a historic first for any Sri Lankan player in ODI cricket.. Nissanka’s remarkable innings of 210 runs off just 139 balls included an impressive tally of 20 fours and eight sixes. That innings not only made him the tenth batsman to get a double century in ODI cricket, but also the third fastest, while overtaking cricket legends Virender Sehwag and Chris Gayle, reaching the feat off just 136 balls.
Notably, Nissanka’s record-breaking knock was also above the veteran Sri Lankan opener, Sanath Jayasuriya’s earlier 189 scored in 2000. His effort adds to the list of famous cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, and Glenn Maxwell who have achieved double centuries in the 50-over format.
Pathum Nissanka Makes Sri Lankan Cricket History with Maiden ODI Double Century
In the innings for Sri Lanka, Nissanka and Avishka Fernando had laid a solid foundation with an opening partnership of 182 runs. While Fernando was just 12 runs away from a century, Nissanka could not curb his attacking style and put down a good total of 381/3 on the board.
Afghanistan missed key players like Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and their relatively inexperienced batting lineup needed to perform against such a formidable performance of Sri Lanka. After defeating Sri Lanka in the last match of the ODI World Cup 2023, Afghanistan went down tamely to the former, going down by ten wickets in the first match of the series.
19:30 IST
