CWC: Dilshan shines in Lanka's 92-run win against Afghanistan

Sri Lanka recorded an impressive 92-run win against minnows Afghanistan in their World Cup tie at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, thanks to Tillakaratne Dilshan's unbeaten 161-run knock and Lasith Malinga's exploits with the ball.

Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka posted a mammoth 332-1 in their allotted 50 overs, courtesy of a half-century by opener Lahiru Thirimanne and Dilshan and former skipper Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten tons.

Dilshan fired away 161 runs off 146 delivers, as he ripped open Afghanistan's bowling line-up. His knock included 22 fours.

Wicketkeeper batsman Sangakkara also impressed with the bat and remained unbeaten on 105 runs, which came of 76 balls and included 13 fours and one six.

Sangakkara and Dilshan together posted an unbeaten 210-run partnership for the second wicket that helped Sri Lanka post a 333 run target for Afghanistan to win.

As Afghanistan started their run-chase, they lost a quick wicket on just the second delivery, as their opener Tamim Iqbal went for a duck while facing South African pace express Malinga, who also claimed Taskin Ahmed, also for a duck, and the crucial wicket of Sabbir Rahman (53).

Anamul Haque (29) and Soumya Sarkar (25) provided some relief to the side but failed to put up any substantial partnership.

Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hassan fell short of four runs from his half-century mark, as lost his wicket to Dilshan, who also claimed their skipper Mashrafe Mortaza's (7) wicket.

Dilshan was awarded the Player of the Match award for his antics with both the bat and the ball. He said that he was really happy because in the last game he got out on the first ball.

Dilshan insisted that he enjoyed every single moment in the middle and tried to enjoy every ball there with the youngsters, adding that Sangakkara is undoubtedly a great man, insisting that with him he has had more than 14-15 hundred partnerships.

Mashrafe Mortaza said that fielding cost Afghanistan but added that their bowlers were up to the mark and next match they would try to come up with good things.

Mortaza said that Dilshan and Sangakkara are great players, adding that they showed them that on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews said that Dilshan and Sangakkara were brilliant, adding that they batted the team through and insisted that the former was amazing.

Mathews said that it was a calculated effort and it was a clinical performance, adding that he won't say clinical because they were slightly sloppy on the field and could have done better.

But, the skipper claimed that once they got the runs bowlers got to bowl freely.