At 39 years old, Mohammad Nabi has overtaken Sachin Tendulkar in the list of oldest centurions in ODI cricket. He along with partner Azmatullah Omarzai helped Afghanistan break the world record for most runs added in an ODI after losing five wickets, but ended up on the losing side against Sri Lanka. reason? Pathum Nissanka's record-breaking double century. The first ODI between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in Palekele on Friday was both a joy and a nightmare for statisticians. Because records fell apart at a rapid pace, sometimes even from near-impossible circumstances.
Nissanka became the first Sri Lankan to score a double hundred in an ODI. The previous highest score by a Sri Lankan was Sanath Jayasuriya's 189 against India. Nissanka's 210* was also the highest ODI score by a batsman against Afghanistan, surpassing Australia's Glenn Maxwell's 201* in last year's ODI World Cup. The achievement in 136 balls was also the third-fastest double century in ODIs.
Nissanka's stunning knock helped Sri Lanka to 38 1/3 ODIs, the third-highest ODI total. It should have been an easy win for Sri Lanka from here on most days.
And it looked the same when Afghanistan was reduced to 5-5. But what happened next had little effect on them or anyone else. Nabi and Omarzai scripted their long-standing partnership to not only revive Afghanistan's innings but also give them a realistic chance of making the chase a success.
At 39 years and 39 days old, Nabi became the 6th oldest centurion in ODI cricket, overtaking Tendulkar who completed a century at 38 years and 327 days, which was also his 100th century in international cricket. .
Nabi and Omarzai added 242 runs for the sixth wicket, making it the second-highest stand in an ODI below the sixth wicket. This record equals New Zealand's Grant Elliott and Luke Ronchi, who scored 267 runs against Sri Lanka in 2015.
Nabi finished with 136 points off 130 balls, while Omarzai finished with 149* off 115 balls. But their heroic acts were not enough to push Afghanistan over the line. The partnership between Nabi and Omarzai became the best partnership in a losing cause.
Afghanistan added 284 runs after losing 5 wickets. This is the most of any team. Afghanistan's 339/6 is also their highest ODI score and the highest by any team in a run chase in Sri Lanka.
