Reigning World T20 champions Sri Lanka coped with the absence of injured Lasith Malinga as Tillakaratne Dilshan inspired the side to a six-wicket win over qualifiers Afghanistan in Kolkata. Rangana Herath (2-24) took up the mantle with the ball after Malinga, afflicted by a knee strain in recent months, missed out on selection, with Afghanistan posting 153-7 thanks largely to captain Asghar Stanikzais career-best 62 off 47 balls.Dilshan (83no from 56) then collected his 13th fifty in T20I cricket - a record he shares with Chris Gayle (West Indies), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) and Virat Kohli (India) - and mowed three sixes as Sri Lanka eased home with seven balls to spare following the openers pull for four.Afghanistans innings hinged on Stanikzai after beefy opener Mohammad Shahzad, fresh from totals of 61, 41, and 40 in the qualification stage, holed out for eight and Mohammad Nabi, who hit 52 last time out against Zimbabwe, went lbw for three to leave the score on 51-4.Stanikzai clobbered back-to-back sixes off slow left-armer Milinda Siriwardana in the 13th over and four maximums in total, the 29-year-old sharing a stand of 61 from 31 balls with Samiullah Shenwari (31 from 14) for the fifth wicket while amassing his highest score in T20I cricket.Asghar Stanikzai hit four sixes in his career-best 62 Stanikzai perished attempting a ramp shot - becoming one of Thisara Pereras (3-33) scalps - but helped his side biff 104 runs from the final 10 overs, with Najibullah Zadran (12no from three) adding gloss at the death with a monstrous six over cover and a meaty four through the same region. Dilshan and Dinesh Chandimal (18) , though, unleashed some lavish strokes of their own - the former nailing a six over fine leg with his famed Dil-scoop - as Sri Lanka put on 41 for the first wicket before Nabi had Chandimal pouched at midwicket from his second delivery.Sri Lanka teased a wobble when Lahiru Thirimanne (six) dragged teenage spinner Rashid Khan on, wicketkeeper Shahzad ran out Perera (12) and Nabi ousted Chamara Kapugedera (10) off his own bowling by flicking Dilshans straight drive onto the non-strikers wicket.But skipper Mathews backed up his economical work with the ball (1-17) by supporting Dilshan with an enterprising late cameo with the blade (21no from 10), although Afghanistan - in the Super 10s for the first time in their history - were left to rue some sloppy ground fielding during an otherwise valiant display.Sri Lanka celebrate the wicket of Mohammad Shahzad Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews: It was a much-needed victory for us as we havent played well in the recent past. Our bowlers did well except for two big overs and we were positive from the word go with the bat. We are not looking too far ahead but if we click we can do wonders as a team. Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai: I thought we were 10 or 15 runs short with our total, although Dilshan played very well for Sri Lanka and showed a lot of responsibility. We also made mistakes with our fielding, so hopefully we can improve that in our next game.Sky pundit and England seamer James Anderson: I thought Afghanistan got a lesson in how to chase down a total from Dilshan - he showed all his experience and skill by taking on low risk shots all the way through a chanceless innings. It was great to watch.Sri Lanka and Afghanistan return to World T20 action on Sunday, with the former tackling Englands conqerors West Indies in Bangalore (1.30pm, Sky Sports 2) after Afghanistan battle South Africa in Mumbai (9am, Sky Sports 2). You can watch both games for £6.99 with a NOW TV Day Pass.China Jerseys . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Cheap Jerseys . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. https://www.chinasjerseys.com/ .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. China Jerseys 2022 . With his new coach and six-time Grand Slam singles champion Boris Becker watching him during an official match for the first time, Djokovic appeared tentative early against the Slovakian player, who often appeared content to keep the ball in play. China Jerseys Cheap . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee.STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Penn State kicker Joey Julius released a public statement Monday morning and admitted he sought treatment earlier this year for an eating disorder.Julius -- whose big hits on kickoffs twice went viral this season -- missed both spring and summer workouts with the football team. The reason was initially unknown, but he explained on Facebook that he was admitted to an eating disorder center in St. Louis from May 9 to July 26.Due to my increase in not only weight but also depression and anxiety, my team physicians started to notice not only a change in my overall happiness but also my performance as a normal human being, Julius wrote. Throughout this whole process I learned a lot about myself. I learned that for the last 11 years of my life, I have suffered through a disorder known as binge eating disorder.Julius, a 258-pound redshirt sophomore did not explain why he decided to open up about his disorder now, but he thanked both Penn State coach James Franklin and the staff for their support. He also extended his own help to anyone in a similar situation.If anyone - and I mean anyone, guy or girl - is struggling with the same or anything similar, please message me as I will be in immediate contact to help in any way I can to provide information or insight on my struggles, he wrote. And I would love to help.According to the National Eating Diisorders Association, binge eating disorder impacts 2 percent of men and remains the most common eating disorder in the U.ddddddddddddS.The reaction to Julius statement has been overwhelmingly positive so far, with more than 200 friends and fans posting to Julius Facebook wall and thanking him for the courage to reveal his disorder. His Twitter account has been flooded with similar messages.In a statement, Franklin said the Penn State program supports Julius.We are very proud of Joe and fully support him as he deals with these personal matters, he said. However, as is our policy, we do not discuss the medical affairs of our student-athletes. We ask for others to be supportive and respectful, as well!Julius has made headlines this season for his big hits on Kent State returner Kavious Price and Michigan returner Jourdan Lewis. All-American Jabrill Peppers even moved out of the way to avoid blocking the kicker.That guy is surprisingly a very good cover guy, Wolverines special-teams coach Jay Harbaugh said. Credit to him -- hes a big, stout cover guy you really have to account for, which is unfortunate. You usually like to be able to ignore the kickers.Julius handles kickoffs for the Nittany Lions. Tyler Davis handles the field goals. ' ' '