SL vs AFG Dream11 Prediction 1st ODI Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Playing 11, Top Picks, Fantasy Cricket Tips

The 1st ODI between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota on 2nd June at 10:00 AM IST.

Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, 1st ODI

2nd June, 10:00 AM IST

Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota

Table of Contents

SL vs AFG Preview

Sri Lanka go head-to-head against Afghanistan in the 1st ODI at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota on 2nd June, Friday at 10:00 AM IST.

The hosts are one of those sides that are expected to do well in the upcoming ODI world cup, the preparations have begun in full swing, and with only a few months to go, they need to set their teams straight and be ready for the main event. Sri Lanka last played the ODI series against New Zealand when they toured. They got whitewashed 2-0 in the ODI series.

Talking about this series, Sri Lanka are looking forward to doing a clean sweep, however, Afghanistan are not going to allow them to brush aside as they put up a fight in every aspect of the game. With Dimuth Karunaratne back in the ODI mix of things, he’s expected to be a part of the playing XI too.

Dasun Shanaka is the able leader they’ve got in themselves and has proved his mettle in the format already. Wanindu Hasaranga, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara and Maheesh Theekshana all are to take care of the bowling front.

Afghanistan are building out a tremendous ODI squad for the upcoming world cup tournament too. Their form in recent times have been magnificent, they beat Pakistan in a T20 series. Prior to that when they toured Sri Lanka, they did win a ODI game too, they are going to take all that into consideration and will be looking forward to putting up a similar fight in this series as well. One shouldn’t be surprised if Afghanistan goes on to win this series as well.

However, it’s going to be a herculean task given they are playing Sri Lanka in their own backyard as stronger teams have found it tough sometimes to beat the hosts. With the bat, they have the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Rahmat Shah up the order, then comes Hashmatullah Shahidi, the skipper at number four.

They have a solid middle order in Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi. Later comes Rashid Khan who has shone his skills in the IPL and is no mug with the bat, they bat deep and that’s one of the reasons why they are a dangerous side. With the ball, Fazalhaq Farooqi who can swing the ball both ways with pace, Mujeeb, Noor, and Rashid all try to spin a web around the Sri Lankan batters in the series.

Team Form Guide:

SL (recent first): L L L L –
AFG (recent first): L NR W W W

Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report

The pitch at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium is typically a high-scoring ground. There’ll be something on offer for the pacers in the first innings and the spinners will come into play. Teams shouldn’t aim too high and crash down, keep wickets in hand and go hard at the death. The average first innings score on this ground is 268.

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SL Playing 11

Pathum Nissanka
Dimuth Karunaratne
Kusal Mendis (WK)
Angelo Mathews
Charith Asalanka
Dhananjaya de Silva
Dasun Shanaka (C)
Chamika Karunaratne
Wanindu Hasaranga
Kasun Rajitha
Maheesh Theekshana

Sri Lanka Team News

Dimuth Karunaratne is back in the limited-over edition squad and is expected to be included in the playing XI.
No injury concerns for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Key Players

Angelo Mathews vs Afghanistan in ODIs

Angelo Mathews is one of the greats of the game for Sri Lanka, with the world cup later in the year, Sri Lankan team management has thought about adding more experience into the squad that’ll help come out of various situations during the tournament.

Last 5 performances in ODI	ODI Matches, Runs and Average against Afghanistan	Runs & Averages in ODIs	ODI performances at Hambantota	Captain or Vice-captain choice
0, 18, 5, 12, 1	4 Matches, 45 Runs & 37.00 Average	5853 Runs & 41.21 Average	1, 24, 42, DNB, 70*	✅

Kusal Mendis vs Afghanistan in ODIs

Kusal Mendis is the vital cog in the scheme of things for Sri Lanka with the World Cup in mind later this year. Mendis has been churning out big runs for the team in tests and he’d like to do the same in the ODI format as well.

Last 5 performances in ODI	ODI Matches, Runs & Average against Afghanistan	Runs & Average. Wickets & Economy in ODIs	ODI performances at Hambantota	Captain or Vice-captain choice
0, 0, 4, 34, 0	5 Matches, 72 Runs & 18.00 Average	2654 Runs & 30.50 Average	119, 1, 0, 28*	✅

AFG Playing 11

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
Ibrahim Zadran
Najibullah Zadran
Rahmat Shah (vc)
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c)
Mohammad Nabi
Azmatullah Omarzai
Fareed Ahmed
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Noor Ahmad
Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Afghanistan Team News

Hashmatullah Shahidi will lead the side, with Gurbaz keeping wickets.
Rashid Khan has been ruled out of the first two ODIs due to a lower-back injury.

AFG Key Players

Najibullah Zadran vs Sri Lanka in ODIs

Najibullah Zadran in the middle order is a crucial player for Afghanistan. He has the ability to play the anchor role, also can switch gears when needed.

Last 5 performances in T20	ODI Matches, Runs and Average against Sri Lanka	Runs & Average in ODIs	ODI performances at Hambantota	Captain or Vice-captain choice
77, 6, 42, 9, 3	7 Matches, 201 Runs & 28.71 Average	1974 Runs & 31.33 Average	Playing in Hambantota for the first time	✅

Ibrahim Zadran vs Sri Lanka in ODIs

Ibrahim Zadran at the top of the order has been magnificent for Afghanistan in recent times. Ibrahim has established himself as a prolific run scorer and they now heavily depend on him to give a solid start.

Last 5 performances in T20	ODI Matches, Runs & Average against Sri Lanka	Runs & Average in ODIs	ODI performances at Hambantota	Captain or Vice captain choice
162, 10, 106, 8, 121	3 Matches, 278 Runs & 92.66 Average	433 Runs & 61.85 Average	Playing in Hambantota for the first time.	✅

Who will win Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan match?

Both these teams have met 7 times. Sri Lanka has gone to win 4 times and Afghanistan won twice. There was one game that was abandoned.
Sri Lanka has all the talent that can sweep the series playing at home. They have the right set of resources.
With Dimuth Karunaratne, and Angelo Mathews in the side, they have plenty of experience with the mix of youth.
Afghanistan is a terrific side but just lacks the experience of playing in different conditions.

According to Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan today match prediction, Sri Lanka is expected to get over the line and win this SL vs AFG Dream11 Prediction.