BIPIN DANI
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has shown the good gesture of allowing the "special trophy" to be taken away to Kabul.
The 3-match inaugural bilateral ODI series between the Sri Lankan team and the visiting Afghanistan team was tied 1-1 (the second ODI was called off due to rain) and the physical trophy of the tournament was taken to Afghanistan. This was confirmed by multiple sources, who saw the Trophy being taken in the team bus directly from Kandy hotel to Colombo airport.
Later confirmed by Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) media and communications manager Abdullah Khan Pakthani, he said, "yeah, the team will bring the trophy home". At the time of filing this report, the team was in transit at the Dubai airport.
"This trophy will be kept in our museum, where other memorabilias are displayed. We feel very happy and wish our team more success in the future as well", he further added.
Player of the Match award
Sri Lanka leveled the series 1-1 after Asalanka, Wellalage were successful to chase the target of 314 runs. Ibrahim Zadran's score of 162 runs was almost doubled to the Player of the Match winner Asalanka.
"It was an unanimous decision (to name Asalanka as player of the Match winner)", the two commentators (Sri Lankan Roshan Abeysinghe and Afghanistani Ahmad Farhad Fidai), who were part of the all five commentator adjudicators, confirmed.
The visiting commentator also had praise for all three new weds, who put on a performance for Lanka. Rajitha in his first spell, Pathum with the opening partnership and Aharith in the end.
"They came to play although they got married a couple days ago, so no honeymoon for them. My view at the later stage of the game was that marriage/ wife brings good omen as per Afghan beliefs and it seemed as marriages brought good omen to all three players and specially Asalanka and Rajitha", Fidai added.
Rajitha's wife Chamaththi did travel to Kandy (from Colombo) to watch the final match on Tuesday and occupied the seat in the Players' Family Area.
