"A fightback to remember in cricket history"- Fans hail Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi for their iconic 242-run partnership in 1st AFG vs SL ODI
Afghanistan all-rounders Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi almost pulled off a heist for their side in a mammoth chase of 382 against Sri Lanka. They put up a stunning partnership in the first ODI on Friday (February 9). Despite the duo's majestic 242-run partnership, Sri Lanka won the match by 42 runs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
After being asked to bat first, Sri Lanka notched up a gigantic total of 381/3 in 50 overs. Opener Pathum Nissanka (210*) became the first Sri Lankan batter to hit a double century in an ODI with a sensational knock. Avishka Fernando (88) and Sadeera Samarawickrama (45) supported him in the batting department.
Afghanistan's batting line-up collapsed like a pack of cards under pressure in a steep chase. They looked down and out at 55/5 in 8.3 overs. However, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi joined hands at this juncture and scripted one of the epic comebacks with a fighting stand.
Omarzai continued to impress everyone with yet another brilliant performance. He scored 149* (115) and remained unbeaten till the end. Nabi got out for 136 (130) in the 46th over. Afghanistan eventually fell 42 runs short as the duo did not get much support from others in such a lofty chase.
The fighting spirit of Nabi and Omarzai impressed the fans. They took to X and heaped praise on the duo through their posts. Here are some of them:
"We had hope when Azmat and Nabi was playing"- Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi after loss vs Sri Lanka
At the post-match presentation, Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi revealed that the dew factor influenced his decision to bowl first at the toss. He opined that the surface aided batting in both innings and felt that they gave too many runs in the first innings with the ball.
Reflecting on the loss, Shahidi said:
"The decision was due to the dew factor (on opting to bowl first). We were thinking that there would be dew in the second innings. The pitch was a good one to bat in the second innings as well.
He added:
"We gave away a lot of runs. The powerplay overs we were not upto the mark and gave the game to Sri Lanka. We tried to claw our way back but they kept on punishing us. We had hope when Azmat and Nabi was playing. With fifteen overs left, we had the belief but it was too much in the end."
The two teams will square off in the second ODI of the three-match series on Sunday (February 11) at the same venue.