SL vs AFG: Pathum Nissanka slams Sri Lanka's first ODI double hundred

For the first time in Sri Lanka’s ODI cricket history, a batter reached the 200-run mark. On Friday (Feb 9), in Pallekele against Afghanistan in the first ODI, Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka became the first player from the country to reach a double hundred, scoring an unbeaten 210, hitting 20 fours and eight massive sixes.

By unlocking this milestone, Nissanka broke Sanath Jayasuriya’s long-standing highest ODI total of 189 against India in Sharjah in 2000. Nissanka has joined an extended list of individuals who completed 200 or more runs in an ODI game; Nissanka is the seventh batter from Asia and the first from the Island Nation to achieve this feat. 

Nissanka’s 210* is the first ODI double hundred this year.

Meanwhile, batting first after losing the toss, Sri Lanka openers got the home team to a flyer, with Nissanka and Avishka Fernando taking down the Afghanistan attack.

Without Rashid Khan, The bowling line-up of Afghanistan looked clueless on a sunny day in Pallekele, with everyone leaking runs even beyond boundary restriction overs.

Fernando completed his first ODI fifty after eight innings but got out on 88 off 88 balls, hitting eight fours and three sixes. Soon after, Nissanka completed his hundred, much to everyone’s delight. 

The next pair (Kusal and Nissanka) added 42 runs for the second wicket before Nabi got the captain Kusal Mendis caught on 16. 

Samarawickrama and Nissanka kept the run rate going, but before the middle-order batter could reach his fifty, he gave away his wicket to Fareed Ahmad on 45 off 36 balls.

Right after that dismissal, Nissanka slammed a six off the first ball of the final over to go past Jayasuriya’s record of 189. 

He continued with the onslaught, slamming 20 runs in boundaries in the last over to help his team reach 381 for three. 

Nissanka scored a whopping 210*, the sixth-highest individual total in ODIs.