SL vs AFG: Pathum Nissanka becomes first Sri Lanka batter to score ODI double century, breaks Sanath Jayasuria’s 24-year-old record | Cricket News

Batter Pathum Nissanka became the first Sri Lankan batter in the country’s hory to score a double century in the 50-over format when he achieved that feat against Afghanan in the first ODI.
He also became the player who now has the highest individual score in Sri Lanka’s ODI hory, surpassing the iconic 189 scored Sanath Jayasuria against India in 2000.
Nissanka remained unbeaten at 210 in the match in an innings peppered with 20 fours and 8 sixes as Sri Lanka put on a total on 381/3.

Pathum Nissanka becomes the first-ever Sri Lanka batter to score a Men’s ODI double hundred 🎉#SLvAFG pic.twitter.com/1VxXk664SQ
— ICC (@ICC) February 9, 2024
Opener Avishka Fernando was the next highest scorer with his 88 while middle order batter Sadeera Samarawickrama chipped in with 45. Fareed Ahmad Malik was the pick of the bowlers with 2 wickets for 79 runs.
Earlier, Afghanan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to field in the opener of a three-match one-day international series at Pallekele on Friday.
Sri Lanka included opening batter Nissanka, who missed the only test match because of an illness.
Afghanan has four seam bowlers hoping to take advantage of the pitch conditions at Palleleke.
Afghanan will be confident going into the game after its convincing seven-wicket win against Sri Lanka in a match in last year’s World Cup tournament in India.
In that match, powered fifties from Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai, Afghanan powered to their third win in the World Cup.
Left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi on his return to the side took four-wicket haul and had restricted Sri Lanka to 241 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
Nissanka was the top scorer again for Sri Lanka with 46 while Angelo Mathews and Maheesh Theekshana chipped in with cameos at the end but that was not enough to take them over 250.