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