Charith Asalanka saved face for Sri Lanka with a rousing century after the team in shuffling the batting hit trouble to slump to a total of 208 for 7 before reaching 273 for 9 in the allotted 50 overs in the first ODI against Zimbabwe at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday.
The match was halted after the fourth over of the Zimbabwe innings due to rain and subsequently called off with the vistors at 12 for 2 after Dilshan Madushanka plucked both wickets.
Asalanka hit 101 and was out in the last over having struck five fours and four sixes after a quiet start to his innings that helped his team to overcome the setbacks of Sri Lanka losing opener Avishka Fernando who replaced an ill Pathum Nissanka and was out without scoring followed by a promoted Sadeera Samarawickrema batting at Number 3 dismissed for 41 and debut-maker Janith Liyanage sent back after making 24.
Kusal Mendis opening the batting in the absence of Kusal Perera made 46 before running himself out followed by two other batters Sahan Arachchige (11) and the struggling-for-runs Dasun Shanaka (8) unable to come to grips with the Zimbabwe bowlers after Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first.
Sri Lanka’s batting line-up was a marked contrast to the one that played the last time in an ODI match that was against New Zealand at the 2023 World Cup made up of Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrema, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Matthews.
Asalanka was the only Sri Lankan batters to player in the Number Five slot while the rest were either shuffled, dropped or sidelined.
Asalanka kept his cool against some good bowling by Zimbabwe and opened out in the final four overs to ensure Sri Lanka made up for the batting lapses and reached a defendable total.
