Afghanistan Win the third T20I to finish the Tour on a High

AfghanAtalan concluded their tour to Sri Lanka with a victory after securing a thrilling 3-run victory over the hosts in the third and final T20I.

Afghanistan opted to bat first after winning the toss for the third straight time in the series. Rahmanullah Gurabz (70) brought up his 7th T20I half-century and put on an excellent 88-run opening partnership with Hazratullah Zazai (45), who fell just five runs shy of his half-century. 

The skipper Ibrahim Zadran came and struck 10 runs before holing out to long-on. Azmatullah Omarzai (31) provided an excellent hand with a crucial cameo to push Afghan Atalan’s total forward. Mohammad Nabi (16*) and especially the debutant Mohammad Ishaq (16*) did really well to finish the inning with two successive boundaries and take Afghanistan to 209/6 in the first inning. 

In reply, AfghanAtalan backed up the excellent batting effort with a decent bowling display. The bowlers led by Mohammad Nabi (2/35), kept striking at regular intervals to keep things in control and despite two half-centuries from Sri Lanka, restricted the hosts to 206/6 to take Afghanistan home by 3 runs. 

Rahmanullah Gurbaz's (70 off 43 balls, 7x4 & 1x6) stellar performance earned him the Player of the Match award. This victory caps off Afghanistan's tour with a win following series defeats in the one-off test (0-1), ODI series (0-3) and T20I series (1-2).

AfghanAtalan's next challenge awaits them in the all-format home series against Ireland, which will commence with a one-off test in Abu Dhabi next Wednesday.