PLAYER RATINGS: Mohammad Nabi stars with the ball but it's another day to forget for Kusal Mendis

The Cricketer runs the rules over the individual performances of both sets of players during Afghanistan's World Cup clash with Sri Lanka in Cardiff

AFGHANISTAN

Mohammad Shahzad (7): Scooped a gentle catch to midwicket. Has not settled into this World Cup, though his keeping was better than usual here. 3.5

Hazratullah Zazai (30): A fun, aggressive cameo at the top of the order from Afghanistan's big hitter. But he and his team will have been hoping for slightly more. 6

Rahmat Shah (2): Could not get going against Sri Lanka's seam. 3.5

Hashmatullah Shahidi (4): Found life very tough during this 17-ball innings. 3

Mohammad Nabi (11 & 4-30): Tremendous figures on a surface that did not immediately look like it would favour spin. Trying lines outside or on off stump paid huge dividends, including three wickets in a single over. Could not make as big a contribution with the bat. 8

Gulbadin Naib (23 & 0-38): Looked like rebuilding his team's innings before he was done by a borderline lbw call. Let’s not mention his bowling effort. 4.5

Najibullah Zadran (43): Gave his team hope again in the lower middle order before being run out by a deadeye throw from Karunaratne. 7.5

Rashid Khan (2 & 1-14): Always looked a threat. Most of the Sri Lankan batsmen couldn’t pick him. Just the one wicket seems an unfair return from his six overs. Lost his off stump in the chase. 7

Dawlat Zadran (6 & 1-19): Quite economical up front, when his opening colleague Hassan was being pumped for runs. Hung in there with the bat to assist Najibullah, despite struggling with what looked like a hamstring injury. 7

Mujeeb Ur Rahman (0* & 0-19): Did not get to see much of the action thanks to Nabi and Rashid. 5

Hamid Hassan (6 & 1-53): His first two overs went for 30 and the seamer looked shot. Somehow, though, he returned with a devastatingly quick second burst. 6.5

^{Kusal Perera made 78 for Sri Lanka}

SRI LANKA

Dimuth Karunaratne (30): Hung around at the top of the order, sharing in a superb opening stand with Kusal Perera worth 92, but his loss precipitated Sri Lanka’s demise. 6

Kusal Perera (78): Shot out of the traps then weighed anchor when his teammates started losing their heads. Let down by his middle order. 8

Lahiru Thirimanne (25): Bowled by Nabi during a spell which made the Afghan allrounder look like Shane Warne. 5

Kusal Mendis (2): Gone second ball, following a first-ball duck on Saturday. Dropped a dolly in the deep. Needs to arrest this poor run, and fast. 2

Angelo Mathews (0): So often a man his country can rely on to dig them out of a hole, here he went cheaply trying to chop Nabi through the covers. One comical moment in the field. 2

Dhananjaya de Silva (0 & 0-7): Done by a snorter from Hamid Hassan, which would have challenged even the world’s very best early in their innings. 4

Thisara Perera (2 & 1-19): When your side is losing wickets quickly, don’t get yourself run out. Very tough to get away with the ball. 4.5

Isuru Udana (10 & 1-28): Filled the role his team required with the ball. A wild hack caught only thin air. 4

Suranga Lakmal (15 & 0-27): Did not manage to cash in with ball in hand. A few lusty blows at the death. 6

Lasith Malinga (4 & 3-39): Those characteristic yorkers ripped into the Afghanistan tail. Bowled by a Dawlat Zadran slower ball. 7

Nuwan Pradeep (4-31 & 0): Achieved tremendous movement, in the air and off the surface, to account for the middle order. 8

Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.