Sri Lanka's opening duo, Dimuth Karunaratne, and Nishan Madushka showcased a formidable partnership. On Friday, they put on 80 brisk runs in the first day's final session in their one-off Test against Afghanistan.

The dynamic collaboration between Karunaratne (42) and Madushka (36) during the last 14 overs left Sri Lanka trailing by 118. Yet, the Afghan bowlers could not secure a breakthrough as they reached stumps with an impressive 5.71 run rate. This performance underscored the aggressive strategy the newly appointed captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, advocated.

After tea, Afghanistan faced a formidable Sri Lankan bowling attack, succumbing to 198 runs. Left-arm seamer Vishwa Fernando led the charge with four wickets, while spinner Prabath Jayasuriya and medium-pacer Asitha Fernando contributed with three wickets each. The tourists were 109-2 at one point, with Rahmat Shah stabilizing the innings after a shaky start. However, Sri Lanka's bowlers made crucial breakthroughs in the post-lunch session, leaving Afghanistan reeling.

Rahmat Shah, Afghanistan's seasoned player with appearances in all seven previous Tests, played a pivotal role, aggressively scoring 91 runs with 13 boundaries. His impressive innings ended with a spectacular one-handed catch by Sadeera Samarawickrama off a failed paddle sweep from Jayasuriya's delivery.

Vishwa Fernando displayed exceptional skills, taking a return catch to dismiss opener Noor Ali Zadran for 31, breaking his 57-run partnership with Rahmat. Despite the wicket not favoring seamers as much as anticipated, Sri Lanka's bowlers stuck to a disciplined approach, prompting mistakes from the Afghan batters.

Making his debut at 35, Noor Ali Zadran faced a challenging initiation, while Nisha Madushka's low catch at gully dismissed Ikram Alikhil for 21. Opener Ibrahim Zadran endured a tough start, falling for a duck in only the day's second ball.

The test match, which is not part of the World Test Championship (WTC), will be followed by three ODIs in Kandy and three T20 matches in Dambulla. Sri Lanka's busy cricket calendar includes a three-Test series in England. Newly appointed captain Dhananjaya de Silva aims to elevate the team's Test rankings after a recent slip to eighth place.