2nd T20I: Angelo Mathews delivers an all-round performance versus Afghanistan
Angelo Mathews delivered an all-round performance for Sri Lanka in the second T20I against Afghanistan in Dambulla. The all-rounder hammered a 42* which helped the hosts post 187/6 as they won by 72 runs. Later, Mathews was exceptional with the new ball as he pegged Afghanistan back with two quick wickets. He returned with 2/9 in only two overs. Here we decode his stats.
A blazing hand from Mathews
Mathews came to the crease when Sri Lanka were 121/5 in 14.2 overs. He joined forces with Sadeera Samarawickrama and they added crucial runs together. The veteran all-rounder slammed a 22-ball 42* which allowed the hosts to finish with a flourish. Mathews was at his dominant best as he smashed four maximums alongside two boundaries. His experience helped Sri Lanka deliver.
Mathews was brilliant with the ball
Carrying confidence from his batting, Mathews made the new ball talk as he claimed the wickets of both the Afghanistan openers, Hazratullah Zazai and Ibrahim Zadran, in the first three overs of the innings. He finished the match with figures of 2/9 from two overs.
Mathews scripted these feats in T20Is
As per ESPNcricinfo, Mathews has scalped 22 wickets in powerplay overs in the T20Is. Among SL bowlers, he owns the second-most powerplay wickets in T20Is. The veteran all-rounder is only behind Nuwan Kulasekara's tally of 24 powerplay wickets. His exceptional economy of 6.14 in the powerplay overs of T20Is is praiseworthy. Both of his wickets against Afghanistan came in powerplay overs.
A look at his exceptional T20I numbers
Playing his 83rd T20I, Mathews raced to 1,308 runs at an average of 27.82. He has hammered six fifties in this format while owning a strike rate of 119.78. His highest T20I score of 81* came against New Zealand. In three matches, he has scored 69 runs against Afghanistan. With the ball, he owns 43 wickets for SL at 29.95 (ER: 7.10).
Here's the match summary
Sri Lanka were off to a good start before they were derailed in the middle overs. Samarawickrama and Mathews played crucial knocks while adding 66 runs together. This helped SL reach a decent total of 187/6. Mohammad Nabi starred with 2/25. In reply, Afghanistan never got going and were bundled out for only 115. Mathews returned with 2/9 from his two overs.