Preview: Afghanistan and Sri Lanka lock horns in a must-win clash
The equation is pretty simple for Afghanistan and Sri Lanka at the moment. They are occupying the bottom two spots in Group 1 with just two points to their names and, with both Australia and New Zealand having made their way to five points already, they will need to win both of their remaining encounters to stay alive in the semi-final race.
But only one team can emerge victorious from this contest, which means the losing team will be out of the final four race completely. Moreover, with rain threat looming large, there's a chance of both teams getting eliminated from contention if the match is a washout.
Afghanistan v Sri Lanka Preview | Match 32 | T20WC 2022
Preview of the Afghanistan v Sri Lanka match at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022
Two of Afghanistan's three matches so far have already been hit by rain. After their loss to England, where they fought very hard and competed really well, both of their games against New Zealand and Ireland were called off as rain played spoilsport. Now there is a risk of their third game encountering the same fate as well.
Mohammad Nabi's men were seen in really good form in the warm-up matches. Even though their batting unit failed in their tournament opener against England, their bowlers delivered a fighting performance and showed that they are a real force to be reckoned with. They will be hoping for another opportunity to show that.
Why batters fear Afghanistan ‘magician’ Rashid Khan | T20WC 2022
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have been fortunate to play three full games. But they haven't been able to make the most of it. They started their Super 12 campaign on a bright note with a massive nine-wicket win over Ireland but have suffered crushing losses to Australia and New Zealand in the last two matches.
While it was their bowling that failed in the match against Australia, it was their batting that couldn't live up to the expectations against the Kiwis. But they need consistency in both departments going into this contest against Afghanistan. If rain shows mercy and they get some overs in to get a result, Sri Lanka will need their star spinners, Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga, and their top order to perform at the peak of their potential.
Theekshana confounds Allen with ripper | New Zealand v Sri Lanka | T20WC 2022
Maheesh Theekshana sees off Finn Allenn with a ripper for the opening wicket during New Zealand's clash against Sri Lanka in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022.
In fact, both sides will need to win by a big margin to give their NRR a boost as well. But, for now, they just need to focus on winning the match.
**Afghanistan:**Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi
**Sri Lanka:**Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha
**Mohammad Nabi:**The Afghanistan skipper was seen in excellent batting form in the warm-up games as he scored 41* and 51* against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively. He has been economical with the ball as well, registering figures of 1/11 in the warm-up game against Bangladesh and 1/17 in their T20 World Cup opener against England. He will have another important role to play for his team in this contest.
Mohammad Nabi brings up a fine half-century for Afghanistan | T20WC 2022
Wanindu Hasaranga: The wrist-spinner plays a crucial role with the ball for Sri Lanka. Hasaranga gives them control in the middle-overs and he will be looking to do the same in this game as well. Hasaranga is also a handy batter and is tasked with scoring useful runs for his team lower down the order. He has claimed 81 wickets in 50 T20Is for Sri Lanka, at 14.93 runs a piece, and has also amassed 464 runs, including one fifty.
Captaincy Pick: Mohammad Nabi
Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi was in red hot form during the warm-up games. The
right-hander struck unbeaten 41 and 51 against Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively in the two matches. The 37-year-old all-rounder is also a handy off-spinner, who is an effective option against left-handed batters. In 102 T20Is, Nabi has picked up 84 wickets at an economy rate of 7.29 while scoring 1672 runs at a strike rate of close to 140.
Must-have Pick: Wanindu Hasaranga
He is the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 10 scalps in six games, at an average of 16.30. The Sri Lankan all-rounder hasn’t really set the tournament on fire with his batting performances as he has accumulated just 16 runs in five innings, at an average of four, but he is more than a capable batter. His highest score in T20Is is 71, and when he gets going he tends to score fast.
Differential Pick: Chamika Karunaratne
The all-rounder has struggled in this competition so far. He has bagged just three wickets in six matches and has contributed a meagre 32 runs in five outings with the bat. But he could be a really good differential pick for this match considering his all-round potential. In total, the 26-year-old has played 37 T20Is for Sri Lanka and has bagged 21 wickets at an economy of 8.03. As a batter, Karunaratne has scored 257 runs at an average of 16.06