Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka made history by notching up his first-ever double century in One Day Internationals during the first ODI against Afghanistan in Pallekele.
Pathum Nissanka etched his name in the record books as the first Sri Lankan batsman to achieve a double century in One Day International (ODI) cricket, surpassing the previous milestone set by Sanath Jayasuriya with a career-best ODI score of 189. Nissanka reached this remarkable feat by dispatching a boundary four off Afghan pacer Fareed Malik.
Displaying exceptional batting prowess, Nissanka concluded his innings with an impressive 210 runs off 139 deliveries, boasting a strike rate of 151.07. His innings included 20 fours and 8 sixes. The opening partnership with Avishka Fernando (88) laid a solid foundation with a formidable 182-run stand. Subsequently, Nissanka continued his stellar performance, contributing another crucial 120-run partnership with Sadeera, while Kusal Mendis, the captain, scored 16, and Charith Asalanka remained unbeaten with 7 runs.
The Afghanistan bowling lineup struggled to contain the Sri Lankan onslaught, with only Fareed Malik and Mohammad Nabi managing to take wickets. Apart from Nabi, each bowler conceded runs at a rate exceeding seven runs per over. Malik, in particular, went for 79 runs in his seven overs, while Fazalhaq Farooqi conceded 77 runs in his nine overs. The Lankan team capitalized on their batting prowess, accumulating 60 runs in the last five overs of the match.
In the first one-day international, Afghanistan will have one of their most memorable chases in ODI history, as they must score 382 runs to win. The bowling assault is noticeably lacking with Rashid Khan out for the remainder of his recovery following lower back surgery.
At the same time, Pathum Nissanka became the first Sri Lankan and the eleventh batsman to reach two centuries in one-day international cricket. In one-day international cricket, his outstanding 210 runs ranks him sixth all-time for individual scorers in this format, making him the highest-scoring Sri Lankan batsman.
Here is how fans reacted to Nishanka’s double hundred:
