Sri Lanka won against Afghanistan in 2022 T20 WC (Associated Press)
Sri Lanka, under Dasun Shanaka’s leadership, is set to host Afghanistan for three ODI matches in Hambantota. The series, set to commence on June 2, serves as a testing ground for both • sides ahead of this year’s ODI World Cup in India.
Prior to the series opener, here is all you need to know about the players stats, the prime players picks, the top captain, vice-captain choices and the best-predicted eleven for the fantasy contests of the match.
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Sri Lanka
The Island nation sustained a 2-0 and a 3-0 larruping in New Zealand and India respectively in their previous two ODI assignments this year. Shanaka’s troops will be aiming to put past demons aside as their quest for the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers heats up.
The home series against Afghanistan marks their final set of ODI fixtures, before they embark to Zimbabwe for the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. A series win here will put them in good stead ahead of the tournament, as they return to the ODI fold after a gap of more than two months.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, on the other hand, are returning to the ODI setup after six months, i.e., for the first time in 2023, a World Cup year no less. With most of their players still hung up from excessive T20 dosage through the recently-concluded IPL 2023 season, the Afghans will welcome this series for giving them a much-needed ODI exposure ahead of the World Cup in India.
SL vs AFG, Team Form Guide
Sri Lanka: L-NR-L-L-L
Afghanistan: L-NR-W-W-W
SL vs AFG, Must Picks
Sri Lanka
Pathum Nissanka
- ODI Stats: 715 Runs in 23 Matches
- Recent Form: 57 (64) vs NZ, 9 (10) vs NZ, 72 (80) vs IND
- vs AFG: 123 Runs in 3 Matches
Kasun Rajitha
- ODI Stats: 26 Wickets in 18 Matches
- Recent Form: 1/44 vs NZ, 2/38 vs NZ, 2/81 vs IND
- vs AFG: 7 Wickets in 3 Matches
Afghanistan
Rahmat Shah
- ODI Stats: 3,083 Runs in 88 Matches
- Recent Form: 22 (30) vs SL, 58 (78) vs SL, 52 (64) vs SL
- vs SL: 206 Runs in 5 Matches
Fazalhaq Farooqi
- ODI Stats: 17 Wickets in 10 Matches
- Recent Form: 0/70 vs SL, 0/8 vs SL, 4/49 vs SL
- vs SL: 4 Wickets in 3 Matches
SL vs AFG, Risky Picks
Sri Lanka
Dasun Shanaka
- ODI Stats: 1,098 Runs and 17 Wickets in 50 Matches
- Recent Form: 31 (36) & 1/25 vs NZ, 0 (1) & 1/16 vs NZ, 11 (26) & 0/19 vs IND
- vs AFG: 59 Runs in 4 Matches
Afghanistan
Hashmatullah Shahidi
- ODI Stats: 1,505 Runs in 53 Matches
- Recent Form: 4 (10) vs SL, 28 (45) vs SL, 2 (2) vs SL
- vs SL: 75 Runs in 5 Matches
SL vs AFG, Top Captain or Vice-Captain choices
Pathum Nissanka
Reasons
• Pathum Nissanka has been in scintillating touch with the bat off late in the ODI format. The Sri Lankan opener scored a sublime 57 in his previous outing on a tough tour to New Zealand for his side. The cricketer also whacked an attacking 72 against India in an uphill run-chase earlier this year.
• Overall, Nissanka has compiled 276 runs off his last eight ODI matches. During this period, he maintained a healthy average of 39.42, i.e., much better than his career average of 32.50. His golden form makes him one of the best candidates to be a captain or a vice-captain for this match.
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Reasons
• The Afghan pacer, Fazalhaq Farooqi has already collected 17 wickets from 10 innings. With Rashid Khan nursing his lower back injury, captain Shahidi would rely on his new-ball pacer to claim early wickets.
• Farooqi unleashed his career-best figures against Sri Lanka last year, where his four-fer sank the visitors in the first match of the series. His ODI stats, coupled with his personal record against Sri Lanka makes him an ideal choice to become a captain or a vice-captain of the contest.
Rahmat Shah
Reasons
• Afghanistan’s white-ball legend Rahmat Shah has piled up over 3,000 runs in his 88-match ODI career so far. The top-order batter registered two sparkling half-centuries against Sri Lanka in last year’s three-match ODI series.
• Shah, who has scored his runs at an average of 38, has maintained a staggering 51.10 average in his last 10 innings. His recent form and track record against Sri Lanka makes him a viable option for either a captain or a vice-captain role for the upcoming match.
SL vs AFG, Team for Head-to-Head/ Small League Contests
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SL vs AFG 1st ODI; Team for Head-to-head contests (Powered by Cricket Exchange)
Wicketkeeper: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Batters: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah
All-rounders: Mohammad Nabi, Chamika Karunaratne, Dhananjaya de Silva
Bowlers: Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
Captain: Pathum Nissanka
Vice-Captain: Rahmat Shah
SL: 5 Players; AFG: 6 Players
SL vs AFG, Team for Winner Takes All/ Grand League Contests
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AFG 1st ODI; Team for Grand League contests (Powered by Cricket Exchange)
Wicketkeeper: Kusal Mendis, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Batters: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Ibraham Zadran
All-rounders: Dasun Shanaka, Mohammad Nabi
Bowlers: Kasun Rajitha, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, Maheesh Theekshana
Captain: Dasun Shanaka
Vice-Captain: Fazalhaq Farooqi
SL: 6 Players; AFG: 5 Players
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