Afghanistan face Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2022 on Saturday, August 27, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai from 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Sri Lanka brought a halt to their five-match losing streak in T20Is after beating Australia by four wickets in the final match of the series. Dasun Shanaka’s 54 runs off 25 balls sealed a victory for the Lankans from the jaws of defeat. However, they ended up losing the three-match series 2-1 and were cleanswept by India in the T20Is series in February 2022.
The Afghanistan cricket team will be led by Mohammad Nabi in the Asia Cup 2022. They recently lost to Ireland 3-2 in the five-match T20I series. After losing the first two matches, Afghanistan came back strong to level the series. However, they were beaten by the Irish side in the series-decider. In June 2022, Afghanistan dominated the series against Zimbabwe at Harare and were unbeaten in the three-match T20I series.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2022 odds
Parimatch odds: Sri Lanka: 1.54, Afghanistan: 2.50
Bet365 odds: Sri Lanka: 1.53, Afghanistan: 2.50
Betwinner odds: Sri Lanka: 1.58, Afghanistan: 2.31
10CRIC odds: Sri Lanka: 1.61, Afghanistan: 2.26
Betway odds: Sri Lanka: 1.57, Afghanistan: 2.25
Note: Odds are subject to change. Please visit betting sites to check and confirm the latest odds.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka head-to-head in T20Is
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have gone up against each other only once before in the T20 format, in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2016. The Sri Lankan cricket team won by six wickets, thanks to Tillakaratne Dilshan’s unbeaten 56-ball 83 in the run chase.
In ODIs, Sri Lanka have beaten the Afghan team in three of the four matches between the two teams.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2022 squads
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (captain), Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (wicketkeeper), Azmatullah Omarzai, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Rashid Khan, Samiullah Shinwari.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Charith Asalanka, Ashen Bandara, Dinesh Chandimal (wicketkeeper), Wanindu Hasaranga, Dhananjaya de Silva, Nuwanidu Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Praveen Jayawickrama, Chamika Karunaratne, Pramod Madushan, Dilshan Madushanka, Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Pathum Nissanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka probable playing XI
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Naveen-Ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal (wicketkeeper), Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2022 combined fantasy XI
Hazratullah Zazai, Dinesh Chandimal (wicketkeeper), Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Mohammad Nabi, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rashid Khan (captain), Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Matheesha Pathirana.
Afghanistan top picks vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2022
Hazratullah Zazai: The Afghan opener has scored 205 runs in the T20 format in his last eight matches at an average of 29.29 and a strike-rate of 134.86. Zazai has amassed 867 runs in T20Is in 28 matches at an average of 33.34, including one century and three half-centuries.
Rashid Khan: The 23-year-old all-rounder has scalped 112 wickets and scored 1546 runs in this format in 66 matches for Afghanistan. Rashid has 62 wickets and 1204 runs to his name in the T20 format in all franchise, domestic and international matches in 2022.
Sri Lanka top picks vs Afghanistan Asia Cup 2022
Dasun Shanaka: Sri Lanka’s captain is one of the top picks in this match. Shanaka has scored 308 runs in 11 T20Is at an average of 44 with a top score of 74. Overall, the 30-year-old has 1015 runs and 18 wickets in this format for the country.
Wanindu Hasaranga: The all-rounder has picked 62 wickets and scored 382 runs in his T20 international career so far. Hasaranga is a difficult bowler to score off in the middle as well as death overs and he can deliver some big blows with the bat. The 25-year-old scalped 26 wickets in 16 games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2022 prediction
Sri Lanka have a good record against Afghanistan in the white-ball formats. They have multiple match-winners in their squad and are tipped to get the better of the Afghanistan cricket team in this match.
On the other hand, the Afghan side also have quality T20 players like Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi in their ranks as they will challenge Sri Lanka for the win in the Asia Cup 2022 opener.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2022 playing conditions and weather report
Maximum Temperature: 42°C
Precipitation: 0%
Humidity: 11%
Wind: 24 km/h
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