Afghanistan cricketer Mohamed Saleem has been ruled out of the only Test match against Sri Lanka. Saleem suffered a hamstring injury while playing on day 2 of the match and left the field.
Saleem has been out of action for more than four weeks. Afghanistan Cricket Board shared a post about the same on their official handle ‘X’. Afghanistan They finished day 3 of the match at 199/1 in their second innings.
The tweet said, “Fast bowler Mohammad Saleem suffered a Grade 2 strain in his left hamstring on Day 2 of the tournament. #SLvAFG, which rules him out of the current test match and at least for the next four weeks. I wish you a speedy recovery, Saleem!
Mohammad Saleem ruled out of the only test against Sri Lanka
🚨 INJURY ALERT 🚨
Fast bowler Mohammad Saleem suffered a Grade 2 strain in his left hamstring on Day 2 of the tournament. #SLvAFGwhich rules him out of the current test match and at least for the next four weeks.
I wish you a speedy recovery, Saleem! 🤲#AfghanAtalan pic.twitter.com/FWsxARsNIO
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) February 4, 2024
Mohammad Saleem bowled a total of 12.1 overs in the first innings, failing to pick up any wickets and giving away 57 runs at an economy rate of 4.68.
The Afghanistan cricket team regained the momentum of the match and put up a brilliant performance on Day 3. After batting with their overnight score of 420/6, Sri Lanka lost their last four wickets for 19 runs, ending in 439 in total. On Day 3, Sadeera Samarawickrama, batsman and wicketkeeper, was the first Sri Lankan wicket to fall. After being dismissed by Naveed Zadran when Rahmat Shah trapped him for 27 runs off 33 balls.
The next batsman to be dismissed for two runs was Prabath Jayasuriya, while Vishwa Fernando was out for a duck. After being hit on the helmet by Naveed Zadran in Sri Lanka’s 107th innings, Chamika Gunasekara was forced to retire injured.
Afghanistan were behind by 241 runs after the first innings, and the visitors needed a good batting performance to avoid losing the innings. After Noor Ali Zadran and Ibrahim Zadran combined for 106 runs off 258 balls in the first innings, the Afghan team did not replicate their disastrous batting display. The second innings of the Afghan team began with great success. During their partnerships, both batsmen produced some good shots that maintained the momentum they had built earlier in the day.
Noor Ali Zadran hit five boundaries while at the crease, missed a half-century and was dismissed for 47 runs off 136 balls. Asitha Fernando caught him in the face. Ibrahim Zadran scored an impressive century and remained unbeaten on 101 runs off 217 balls, while Noor Ali was denied a century. At the end of day 3, Rahmat Shah had also put up an excellent batting display, remaining unbeaten on 46 runs off 98 balls.
Afghanistan now trail Sri Lanka by 42 runs in their second innings as Day 3 ended at 199/1 in 75 overs. Afghanistan will hope to continue and deliver an outstanding performance on Day 4.
Sri Lanka put the Afghan team on the back foot in the first two days of the match and it looked like the hosts would dominate the entire match. However, the match is currently tied and can move in any direction.