Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, Asia Cup 2022 (PC: Twitter)
The Asia Cup 2022 is all set to kick-off later today with Sri Lanka locking horns against Afghanistan in the tournament opener in Dubai.
The island nation will be captained by Dasun Shanaka and they will be desperate to prove their mettle in international cricket once again by winning a major tournament.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan can be a handful in the shortest format of the game and they will look to spring a few surprises throughout the tournament. The Mohammad Nabi-led side will be familiar with the conditions in Dubai and it remains to be seen whether they can use it to their advantage against Sri Lanka and the other opponents over the course of the Asia Cup.
Furthermore, players like Rashid Khan have enormous experience in the shortest format of the game and have the pedigree to win matches on their own.
The Afghans have had a fair amount of time to prepare for the competition and they will be reasonably pleased with the way they performed against Ireland and Zimbabwe coming into the Asia Cup.
Both teams are capable of pulling off an important win in the tournament opener but there is no doubt that Sri Lanka are probably slightly better-placed to secure a winning start because of their quality and experience.
 "Saikat Chatterjee")
