Both teams unchanged as Afghanistan opt to bat

Sri Lanka
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first for the second time in 48 hours, on a Pallekele surface that looked to both captains as if it would have plenty of runs in it. Often, at this venue, the ball tends to zip around under lights as well – a phenomenon Afghanistan’s quicks used to good effect on Friday, as they tore through Sri Lanka’s batting order.

Both teams have named unchanged XIs. While Afghanistan’s decision to leave their winning combination alone makes sense, Sri Lanka have resisted the the opportunity to field left-arm spinning allrounder Dunith Wellalage in place of seam-bowling allrounder Dhananjaya Lakshan. This is likely because they believe the surface suits a seamer rather than a spinner.

Sri Lanka desperately need Super League points out of this series, with only 62 to their name, with just five matches to go. Afghanistan, meanwhile, could take a big step towards securing an automatic place in next year’s ODI World Cup with a victory here. They are currently on 110 points.

Afghanistan: 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Rahmat Shah, 7 Gulbadin Naib, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 11 Yamin Ahmadzai

Sri Lanka: 1 Kusal Mendis (wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Dhananjaya de Silva, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Dhanajaya Lakshan, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru Kumara

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Madushanka to miss rest of Bangladesh tour, initial stages of IPL 2024
Western Australia surge to home Sheffield Shield final in quest for hat-trick of titles
Theekshana replaces injured Madushanka as Sri Lanka bat in final ODI
Paine: If I’m the opposition, I want Smith opening the batting
Will Sutherland ruled out of county stint with Somerset

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *