Match: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2023, 6th match (AFG vs SL)
Date: September 3, Sunday, 3.00 PM IST
Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will contest with Match 6 of the Asia Cup 2023 on Tuesday, September 5 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Sri Lanka are ranked on top in Group B with a net run rate of +0.951. They are coming into the game after winning by five wickets against Bangladesh in their opening fixture.
Maheesha Pathirana was brilliant with the ball. The youngster picked up four wickets to help restrict Bangladesh to a first innings total of only 164 in 14.2 overs. The Sri Lankan batters, however, made the chase look a bit difficult than it should have been. Their top order collapsed quickly before Sadeera Samarawickrama and Charith Asalanka stabilized the ship and took Sri Lanka to a win in the 39th over.
In contrast, Afghanistan have a poor net run rate of – 1.780. They are coming into the game after losing their first match against Bangladesh by 89 runs. Their bowlers leaked plenty of runs as Bangladesh went on to score 334 in 50 overs. That kind of a target was always going to be massive for Afghanistan, but they gave a good fight nonetheless. Ibrahim Zadran and skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi scored half centuries.
To qualify for the Super 4 round, Afghanistan do not only need to win this game, but they need to do so with a big margin in order to go past the net run rate of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Ahead of the game between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, here is everything you need to know to win big on MPL fantasy cricket.
Weather update and pitch report for AFG vs SL, Asia Cup 2023, match 6
The Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore hosted the recent game between Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Bangladesh scored a big total of 334 batting first, so another high scoring game is likely on the cards. The captain winning the toss is likely to bat first. Overall, 70 ODIs have been played at the Gaddafi Stadium, from which the average first innings score is 253.
The weather in Lahore will be mostly sunny with clear skies. While rain has been playing spoilsport to the Sri Lanka leg of the tournament, it’s been bright and sunny in Pakistan.
Afghanistan team news and predicted XI
Team news: Afghanistan are without fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai for the tournament, both of whom are injured.
Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Ikram Alikhil, Najibullah Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Riaz Hassan, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah, Rashid Khan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Abdul Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Saleem, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad.
Predicted XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Sri Lanka team news and predicted XI
Team news: Sri Lanka do not have any injury concerns and after the kind of the start they have had to the tournament, they are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI.
Squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanaka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Janith Perera, Kusal Mendis (vc), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushan Hemantha, Binura Fernando, Pramod Madushan.
Predicted XI: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana
Head-to-head record
In the 50-over format, the two sides have squared off in a total of 10 matches, with Sri Lanka winning on six occasions. Afghanistan won three times. One match produced no result. It can be noted that Sri Lanka recently defeated Afghanistan in an ODI series.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI for AFG vs SL, Asia Cup 2023
Rahmanullah Gurbaz – wicketkeeper batter, Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dismissed for only a single run in the previous game, but he still remains a highly sought after player across fantasy platforms for what he brings to the table. Gurbaz recently hit centuries against both Pakistan and Bangladesh in two different ODI series. The one against Pakistan was a big knock of 151 runs, which bears testimony to the batsman’s talent. In all, he has played 25 ODIs, from which he has an impressive batting average of over 40. This includes five centuries.
Rashid Khan – all-rounder, Afghanistan
Rashid Khan has had a disappointing start to the tournament, having gone wicketless in the first game. The bowling all-rounder will look to make amends for it in the next game. Rashid brings with him plenty of experience – he has played 93 ODIs, picking up 170 wickets and scoring 1160 runs. Not just that, he also brings the experience of playing in nearly every T20 tournament there is.
Matheesha Pathirana – bowler, Sri Lanka
Matheesha Pathirana was Sri Lanka’s wrecker-in-chief in the match against Bangladesh. He picked up four wickets for just 32 runs and will be high on confidence ahead of the next game. Very recently, he was also one of the leading wicket-takers in the Lanka Premier League.
Ibrahim Zadran – batsman, Afghanistan
A couple of months ago, Ibrahim Zadran was named Player of the Match in an ODI against Sri Lanka. He scored a brilliant knock of 98 runs of as many balls to help Afghanistan win the game. He was also Afghanistan’s best performer against Bangladesh two days ago, with a knock of 75 runs.
Charith Asalanka – batsman, Sri Lanka
Charith Asalanka scored an unbeaten 62 in the previous game against Bangladesh under pressure. He also scored 91 runs in one of the three ODIs Sri Lanka played against Afghanistan in June. Asalanka boasts of an impressive batting average of 42.77 in 36 ODIs.
MPL fantasy XI – AFG vs SL, Asia Cup 2023
AFG vs SL – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka ODI will be televised on the Star Sports Network in India. You can also watch the game on the Disney + Hotstar app. The match will begin at 3.30 PM IST on September 5.
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
