Published on: Jun 3, 2019 6:00 pm IST|Updated on: Jun 4, 2019 2:38 pm IST
Sri Lanka did not get a good start to their World Cup campaign, losing to New Zealand in their first match by 10 wickets. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne tried his best, with his 52*, but the whole team crumbled around him going all out at a score of 136. This was the second time the Sri Lankans went all-out before playing the whole 50 overs and looking at the fact that New Zealand won the game without losing a single wicket, it’s safe to say that Sri Lanka is in deep trouble in the upcoming games.
Afghanistan had a tough game, facing off against one of the favorites of this tournament, Australia. Their batting is still their biggest issue, losing both their openers in the first 8 balls against Australia. After this, Afghanis couldn’t hold the fort and the cracks in their batting order started to appear while Australia slowly chipped them away restricting them to a score of just 207.
Regardless of their outcomes, both teams will look to win this ODI. Knowing that both teams are one of the weakest in this tournament, this is their best chance to get a win under their belt.
Also Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 SWOT Analysis
Match Details
Competition – ICC Cricket World Cup 2019
Venue – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
Date & Time – 04th June, 03:00 PM IST
Where to watch: Star Sports & Hotstar
Pitch Stats & Information
Average 1st innings score: 227
Average 2nd innings score: 216
Highest Total: 342/8 (50 Overs) by Eng vs AUS
Lowest Total: 138/10 (37.5 Overs) by SL vs NZ
This is a perfect pitch to bowl first and get some early wickets. The pitch also does not favor high scored, with only 10 innings ever crossing 300+. The team which will bat second usually win 67% of the time.
AFGH vs SL Head to Head
Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have only met for a total of 3 times so far. Out of those 3 games, Sri Lanka has won 2 and Afghanistan 1. In all 3 games, the loser was all-out whenever they batted.
Afghanistan’s recent ODI run (latest first):
Sri Lanka’s recent ODI run (latest first):
Also Read: Huge boost for Team India ahead of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 opener
Nuwan Pradeep is a contender to feature for Sri Lanka.
Avishka Fernando is likely to be fit and available for selection, but unlikely to get into the SL playing 11.
There were reports of Hamid Hassan being hit on the head. Wait on for the confirmation on his availability.
Afghanistan won the toss and will bowl first
Afghanistan is unchanged
Nuwan Pradeep replacing Jeevan Mendis is the only change in Sri Lanka
Afghanistan playing XI:
Gulbadin Naib (c), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman
Bench: Noor Ali Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam
Sri Lanka playing XI:
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Thisara Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Isuru Udana, Nuwan Pradeep
Bench: Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Avishka Fernando
Rashid Khan | Gulabdin Naib | Mohammad Shahzad
Dimuth Karunaratne | Lasith Malinga | Kusal Perera
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