BANGALORE, June 5: Sri Lankan Tillekeratne Dilshan hit an unbeaten 47 to guide Asia XI to a six-wicket victory over Africa XI in the one-off Twenty20 cricket match here on Tuesday.

The Asian team were struggling at 34-3 before surpassing their opponents’ modest total of 109-8 with more than four overs to spare in the day-night game on a seamer-friendly pitch.

Bangladeshi teenager Tamim Iqbal smashed a 22-ball 30 before middle-order batsman Dilshan steered his team home with a 49-run stand for the fifth wicket with skipper Shoaib Malik (14 not out).

Left-handed opener Tamim Iqbal, 18, hit one six and three fours, while Dilshan struck one six and six fours in his 36-ball knock.

Kenyan seamer Nehemiah Odhiambo had jolted the Asian side with two wickets in his lively opening spell.

Opener Loots Bosman top-scored with 52 for Africa XI, who had been put in to bat on a track with pace and bounce. The South African struck three sixes and as many fours in his 55-ball knock.

South African Gulam Bodi (12) was the other batsman to reach double-figures.

Bangladeshi seamer Mashrafe Mortaza was the most impressive bowler with 2-17 off four overs. Indian paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth also grabbed two wickets.

The three-match Afro-Asia Cup starts here on Wednesday, with the last two day-night games to be held in Chennai on Saturday and Sunday.

Scoreboard

AFRICA XI:

L.L. Bosman c Kamran b Sreesanth 52

G.H. Bodi c Afridi b Sreesanth 12

M.A. Ouma c Kamran b Mashrafe 4

T. Mishra c Razzak b Mashrafe 6

A. Obanda run out 1

K.M. Dabengwa c Kamran b Maharoof 2

N. Odhiambo b Razzak 9

M. Morkel not out 8

T. Tshabalala b Afridi 2

T. Mupariwa not out 1

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-1, W-10) 12

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 20 overs) 109

FALL OF WKTS: 1-21, 2-30, 3-40, 4-43, 5-51, 6-65, 7-101, 8-107.

DID NOT BAT: H.A. Varaiya.

BOWLING: Sreesanth 4-1-26-2 (4w); Mashrafe Mortaza 4-1-17-2 (1w); Maharoof 4-0-21-1 (2w); Abdur Razzak 4-0-12-1; Shahid Afridi 4-0-31-1 (2w).

ASIA XI:

Tamim Iqbal st Ouma b Tshabalala 30

Imran Nazir c Mupariwa b Odhiambo 8

Kamran Akmal c Ouma b Morkel 1

M. Ashraful c Mupariwa b Odhiambo 1

T.M. Dilshan not out 47

Shoaib Malik not out 14

EXTRAS (LB-2, W-7) 9

TOTAL (for four wkts, 15.5 overs) 110

FALL OF WKTS: 1-13, 2-29, 3-34, 4-61.

DID NOT BAT: Shahid Afridi, M.F. Maharoof, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, S. Sreesanth.

BOWLING: Morkel 4-0-16-1 (2w); Odhiambo 3-0-21-2 (2w); Tshbalala 4-0-30-1; Mupariwa 3-0-20-0 (1w); Varaiya 1-0-9-0; Dabengwa 0.5-0-12-0.

RESULT: Asia XI win by six wickets.

UMPIRES: A.V. Jayaprakash and V.N. Kulkarni (both India).

TV UMPIRE: S.K. Tarapore (India).

MATCH REFEREE: B.K. Sadashiva (India).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Tillekeratne Dilshan.—Agencies