Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will face each other in match 32 of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Brisbane on Tuesday, November 1. The Lankan tigers would look to keep their semifinal hopes alive and the Afghans would try to get their first win of the tournament.
Both teams have two points each after 3 matches but Afghanistan is yet to win their first match. The two points earned by them are due to washouts against New Zealand and Ireland respectively. They lost their first match against England by 5 wickets. They have the firepower in their bowling attack and can trouble any side on their day. But it’s their batting that needs to kick if they are to win against Sri Lanka. Rahmatullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran need to come good at the top of the order to give their team a solid foundation.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, has had a hot and cold tournament so far. After losing to Namibia in the qualifying stage, they put up a clinical show to progress to the Super 12. They won their first encounter of Super 12 against Ireland convincingly by 9 wickets. But they’ve lost their last two matches rather comprehensively too. 7-wicket defeat against Australia and a 65-run loss to New Zealand are nothing less than abject surrender!
Apart from injuries, it’s their fielding too, which has been a cause for concern. As far as their batting is concerned, against the Black Caps, only Bhanuka Rajapaksa and skipper Dasun Shanaka reached the double figures.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka (Head to Head)
Matches played: 3
Afghanistan: 1
Sri Lanka: 2
Pitch
The Gabba pitch generally favours bowlers and with overcast conditions, the fast bowlers will be licking their lips. Batters need to apply themselves to score on this track.
Weather
There are chances of rain in Brisbane on Tuesday. At the time when the match is scheduled to start, it will be cloudy with rain to follow. Having a full game seems unlikely. The temperatures will hover between 23° C to 14° C.
Afghanistan possible XI
Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (C), Azamutullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fareed Ahmad, Fazhalhaq Farooqi
Sri Lanka possible XI
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Dasun Shanaka (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Mahesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara
The match begins at 9:30 AM IST. In India, the match will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network. Online viewers can follow the live-action via Disney+Hotstar.
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