Coach Silverwood sees a blueprint for achievement in Sri Lanka’s complete win
The hosts then dismissed Afghanistan for 191, rounding off a medical efficiency. Sri Lanka had misplaced the primary match comfortably, on Friday, elevating issues that they could wrestle within the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe.
“I’m very pleased with how we have bounced back,” Silverwood stated. “If you could bottle that performance and take it with you, you are going to be very consistent around the world. The key is to be consistent. They know they are capable of it now.
“We batted properly and created partnerships. But equally, I assumed, we had been glorious within the subject at the moment. I noticed a lot of power and plenty of folks supporting one another. We saved them beneath the [required] run fee and constructed stress, and ultimately it gave. We took wickets within the center overs, which is one thing we wanted at the moment.”
In addition to making 29 not out off 24 balls, de Silva also claimed the key wicket of Ibrahim Zadran, on his way to the game’s best figures of 3 for 39. Although Afghanistan were behind the asking rate, de Silva’s three wickets – which came in his three successive overs – helped send the opposition into a nosedive from which they would not recover. He had also hit 51 in the first ODI.
“I believe within the first match he performed a brilliant innings,” Silverwood said of de Silva. “Today we noticed him go in and capitalise on what was an excellent begin. There was an important platform when he went in. He saved the momentum going and scored shortly. That’s what we wanted to get above that 300.
“When it comes to his bowling, he has been threatening to do this for a while. He’s a very good one-day bowler. We saw that in Kandy last time we played Afghanistan there. Today, he bowled beautifully and got the rewards he deserves.”
Sri Lanka’s innings had been arrange by the 82-run stand for the primary wicket between Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka, who made 43. Later, Samarawickrama and Mendis placed on 88 collectively.
“I think Dimuth played superbly,” Silverwood stated. “He had played well in the Test series against Ireland as well. I think his tempo is very good, and I think between him and Pathum they built a great platform for us to build on. When you have an 80-plus opening stand, it always helps. They gave us that platform for the rest of the guys to spring from.
“The partnership between Sadeera and Kusal was a fraction over a run-a-ball and the partnerships after that had been at greater than a run-a-ball. It reveals what we will do when we’ve got wickets in hand and a platform. Pushing fielders into corners and making the boundary sweepers work very onerous – it labored at the moment.”