Sadeera Samarawickrama slams his maiden ODI fifty against Afghanistan: Stats
Sri Lanka's Sadeera Samarawickrama played a fluent knock against Afghanistan in the second ODI in Pallekele. The wicket-keeper hammered his eighth ODI fifty and his first against the Afghans. Samarawickrama looked in complete control when he was at the crease but was dismissed right after he reached his milestone. His 52-run knock was laced with three boundaries. SL were 139/3 when he was dismissed.
A steady hand from Samarawickrama
Samarawickrama came to the crease when the Lankan Lions were 32/2 and were in a spot of bother. He supported Kusal Mendis with aplomb by rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard moving. Samarawickrama and Mendis stitched a 103-run partnership, steadying the ship for the hosts. He looked unfazed at the crease until he spooned a catch to midwicket off Qais Ahmed's bowling.
A look at his ODI numbers
Playing his 37th ODI match, Samarawickrama has amassed 1,144 runs at an average of 38.13. In addition to eight fifties, he has also slammed a solitary hundred in ODI cricket. He has compiled 180 runs against Afghanistan in six ODIs. This was his first ODI fifty against them. Samarawickrama's highest ODI score of 108 came against Pakistan in the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
1,000-plus runs for SL in ODIs since 2023
Samarawickrama is the third-highest run-getter for Sri Lanka in ODIs since 2023. He has compiled 1,006 runs from 30 ODIs at an average of 43.73. The wicket-keeper is only behind the tally of Pathum Nissanka (1,379) and Mendis (1,099). Samarawickrama hammered seven fifties and a solitary century in ODIs during this period. He has also batted at a decent strike rate of 97.76.
How has the match proceeded?
Batting first, SL lost Nissanka early on in the fourth over. His partner, Avishka Fernando followed him to the pavilion in the ninth over. From there, the hosts stitched a 108-run partnership between Mendis and Samarawickrama, steadying the ship. Both batters slammed fifties but couldn't convert it into big scores. Later, SL were 175/4 with Charith Asalanka and Janith Liyanage present at the crease.