Batting first against Afghanistan in Cardiff, Sri Lanka were going strong after openers gave a solid start. However, in the 22nd over, Mohammed Nabi turned the match on its head as he struck thrice to bring Sri Lanka down from 92 for 1 to 146 for 4.
He first picked up a well-set Lahiru Thirimanne on 25 as he breached through his defence in the second delivery off the over. Then again in the fourth delivery he dismissed Kusal Mendis as he got him caught by Rahmat Shah.
The third wicket in the over was the biggest set back for Sri Lanka as Nabi dismissed their most experienced batsmen Angelo Mathews for a duck, which was his second in as many matches in this World Cup.
The ICC shared the video of Nabi’s over on their official Twitter handle.
After Nabi’s strike, Sri Lanka were never able to get going as they continued losing wickets. Eventually, rain forced the game to stop, with Sri Lanka reeling at 182/8 in 33 overs.
Earlier in the game, Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bowl first. Sri Lanka started strongly and the openers Dimuth Karunaratne (30) and Kusal Perera (78) added 92 in 13.1 overs. The Lankans lost their campaign opener against New Zealand in a rather one-sided contest.
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