The SL vs AFG moved on from the only Test to the three-match ODI series. All three T20Is will be played in Pallekele with the first game on February 9, Friday. All the matches start at 2.30 pm IST and are day-night encounters.
Afghanistan lost the only Test against Sri Lanka after being outplayed throughout the Test match. The Afghans scored 196 and 292 in the two innings in response to Sri Lanka’s mammoth total of 439 in the first innings. In the second innings, the Islanders chased down 56 and won the match by 10 wickets.
After a fairly one-sided Test match, the white-ball series is expected to be closely fought. Afghanistan won four matches in the IC World Cup 2023. One of their wins came against Sri Lanka. They also defeated England, Pakistan, and Netherlands in the tournament. Their performance in the World Cup also guaranteed them their first-ever ICC Champions Trophy qualification next year in Pakistan.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, displayed a disappointing performance in the World Cup. That led the Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLC) to change their captaincy across formats. Kusal Mendis was named the new ODI skipper, Wanindu Hasaranga the new T20I skipper, and Dhananjaya de Silva the new Test skipper.
After the ODI World Cup, Sri Lanka hosted a three-match ODI and T2-0I series against Zimbabwe. The hosts were pushed to the brink by the visitors as they won the series 2-0. The T20I series was also closely fought which they won 2-0 as well.
Afghanistan played their last ODI match in the World Cup where they finished sixth on the table with four wins in nine matches. They next played a T20I series against India, losing 3-0. However, they gained a rich experience of playing against India in India.
Against Sri Lanka, they have a much more close head to head record in white-ball games. Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have faced each other in 12 matches in ODI. Out of these 12 games, Sri Lanka have won 7 whereas Afghanistan have come out victorious on 4 occasions. Afghanistan won the last match between the two sides in the World Cup in Pune. In five T20Is between the two sides, the Lankans have won three while the Afghans have two.
Kusal Mendis will lead Sri Lanka in this ODI series. He has taken over from Dasun Shanaka as the ODI skipper. He has his prime spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga available for selection for the ODI series. They also have a pace attack spearheaded by Dusmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka.
Afghanistan also have its white-ball regulars back in the side. They will be led by Hasmatullah Shahidi who led them in the World Cup. Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Gulbadin Naib are the all-rounders with Ibrahim Zadrab, Rahmat Shah, and Rahmaullah Gurbaz forming the batting core. Rashid Khan is still unavailable as he recovering from his lower back injury that has kept him out of competitive cricket after the World Cup.
SL vs AFG Live Streaming In India– 1st ODI, When and Where To Watch Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Live In India? 2024
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