Afghanistan take on Sri Lanka in a crucial Super 12 fixture of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 with the loser booking his ticket back home.
Afghanistan and Sri Lanka lock horns at the Gabba, Brisbane on Tuesday. The loser of this game will definitely be out of the tournament and will have no chance of qualifying for the semifinals from the group. This Group 1 clash is between two bottom placed sides, sitting fifth and sixth in the table with two points each. (More Cricket News)
Sri Lanka won their first game of the Super 12 stage with a comprehensive win over Ireland but have lost miserably to Australia and New Zealand, respectively, since then. Sri Lanka’s batting crumbled in the last game against the Kiwis with nine of the eleven players getting out on single digit scores.
On the other hand, Afghanistan have had different battles in Australia. They are yet to win a game as two out of their three games have been washed out due to rain. Mohammed Nabi’s team have played just one game in the Super 12 stage, where they were handed a defeat by England.
While their washed out game against New Zealand might be a blessing in disguise, Afghanistan would have hoped to play against Ireland. Historically, the Afghans have been dominant against the Irish, defeating them 16 times in 24 T20I games between the two sides.
Coming into the game, Sri Lankan fans will expect the likes of Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka to fire. Mendis has had a decent tournament so far, scoring runs in the Super 12 as well as the qualifiers stage, scoring 180 runs in six games. Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana have been the highest wicket takers with 10 and 9 wickets respectively.
Afghanistan’s feared bowling unit hasn’t had a chance to prove themselves as the likes of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi didn’t have enough runs to defend against England. Afghanistan’s bowling attack will look to hurt the Sri Lankan batting lineup and get cheap wickets of openers Pathum Nissanka and Mendis.
As per today’s weather report, Afghanistan might not be able to escape the rain as there is 100% chance of rain on Tuesday in Brisbane. The silver lining is that most of the rain is predicted in the morning or early afternoon. If the game is to be abandoned, there will be huge implications in Group 1 as teams eye the two semifinal berths.
When And Where To Watch Afghanistan Vs Sri Lanka, ICC T20 World Cup 2022 Match Live?
In India, Star Sports has broadcast rights for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The match begins at 9:30 AM IST. Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu and Star Sports 1 Kannada will live telecast the Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka match. Live streaming of the Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka match on Disney+Hotstar.
Squads:
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Ashen Bandara, Lahiru Kumara, Binura Fernando, Pramod Madushan.
Standby Players: Praveen Jayawickrema, Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwanidu Fernando.
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, Qais Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Salim Safi, Usman Ghani.
Standby Players: Afsar Zazai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Rahmat Shah, Gulbadin Naib.