Nissanka, 25 years old, has had an impressive start to his ODI career, averaging 38 with three centuries in 49 games before today. He saved his best performance to date for his half-century of caps, reaching 200 in the final over of the innings.

He surpassed Sanath Jayasuriya as the highest individual scorer for Sri Lanka in ODIs, with the legendary opener having made 189 in the 2000 Champions Trophy final. That was a remarkable innings – despite Jayasuriya’s blitz, Sri Lanka made less than 300, and India were blown away for 54, making it the only ODI in history in which one batter has contributed more than 50 per cent of the game’s total runs.

Highest scores for Sri Lanka in men’s ODIs:

1️⃣ Pathum Nissanka – 210* vs Afghanistan, TODAY
2️⃣ Sanath Jayasuriya – 189 vs India, 2000
3️⃣ Upul Tharanga – 174* vs India, 2013

A record-breaking knock from the 25-year-old in Pallekele 💯💯#SLvAFG pic.twitter.com/kcZoxvOMkn

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) February 9, 2024

Nissanka didn’t quite dominate the scoring to that extent, accounting for 55 per cent of Sri Lanka’s 381-3. Avishka Fernando contributed 88 to a 182-run opening stand, while Sadeera Samarawickrama added 44 in a 120-run partnership for the third wicket.

Nissanka began quickly, reaching 50 off 31, before decelerating towards his hundred through the middle, bringing up the milestone off 88 balls. From there, there was no stopping him. He needed another 28 balls to reach 150, and then 20 more to reach 200. He then hit six and four off the last two balls of the innings to finish on 210, the fifth highest men’s ODI score in history.

It was a chastening day for Afghanistan’s bowlers. Only Mohammad Nabi (1-44) went at less than 7.5 runs per over.

The team score was Sri Lanka’s fourth highest in ODIs, and it was the third highest by anyone against Afghanistan. It was also the second double-century Afghanistan have conceded in a matter of months, following Glenn Maxwell’s unbeaten, cramp-defying masterclass in the 2023 World Cup.