Sri Lanka will face off against Afghanistan in the 1st match of Asia Cup 2022 on August 27th (Saturday) at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. Sri Lanka does not lose hosting rights. Due to that, they open the continental tournament. The Lankans are not in good form in the shortest format as they have lost all the T20 series played in 2022. Afghanistan are also coming off a close loss against Ireland in the five-match T20 series. Both teams will aim to make a winning start.
Sri Lanka won’t be having the services of talismanic pacer Chameera as he is out of Asia Cup due to calf injury. That leaves Sri Lanka with Asitha Fernando, Chamaika Karunartane, and Dasun Shanaka with experienced pace bowling options. Lankans though are well placed in the spin department with Maheesh Theekshana, Hasaranaga, and Dhananjaya de Silva. Batting is not firing, and Shanaka will be hoping the likes of Gunathilaka, Asalanka, and Nisanka fire against resurgent Afghanistan. The Mohammad Nabi-led side have played good cricket but could not deliver the knockout punch against Ireland. Against the Lankans, they would be hoping the batting and bowling fires collectively.
Match Details
Match: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan – Match 1, Asia Cup 2022
Date & Time: August 27 7:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai
Telecast & Live Streaming: Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar
SL vs AFG Pitch Report: The match will be played in Dubai. The pitch out here is pretty even with a good amount of assistance for batters and bowlers. Spinners get good purchase due to its slow nature. 140 is the average score.
SL vs AFG Probable Playing XIs:
SL Team: Pathum Nissanka, Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajaspaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Asitha Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay
AFG Team: Najibullah Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Karim Janat