The Asia Cup begins with Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan facing off. Last time around, Sri Lanka failed to make the Super four stage. This time they are coming into the SL vs AFG 1st T20I fixture after some happy days in international Cricket. While the nation may be struggling in other aspects, the Cricket team is doing its bit to bring Sri Lanka back to their glory days. They now have a side with a lot of talent and will be waiting to get out there and show that they can compete in a multi-team event.

For a change, Sri Lanka comes in with a selection headache. After a long time, Dinesh Chandimal is back on the white ball team. He has been in really good form over the year in red-ball cricket, helping him get his spot back in the white-ball team. His form is peaking but fitting him in may be a tough task with the talent on offer in the Sri Lankan line-up at present.

Afghanistan is also on the rise. They are full of T20 stars and while there is some transition going on, the team still looks pretty promising. Overall, there are a lot of areas for Afghanistan to work on, but on their day they can be very destructive with the bat and very tough to get away with the ball even against the best sides.

SL vs AFG Head to Head

Played- 1 | Sri Lanka- 1 | Afghanistan- 1 | No Result- 0

SL vs AFG Match Details

Date: 27th August 2022

Time: 7:30 PM IST

Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium

SL vs AFG Weather Report

Dubai is usually very hot at this time of the year and there may be dew as well during the evening of the SL vs AFG 1st T20I.

SL vs AFG Pitch Report

A fresh Dubai track is normally very good for batting. There will be some bounce and the dryness will help spinners. The boundaries are also pretty big but with dew playing a role in Dubai constantly, batting second is a better option.

SL vs AFG Predicted Playing XI

Sri Lanka Playing XI

Danushka Gunathilaka, Pattum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya De Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Chamika Karunaratne

Afghanistan Playing XI

Hazratullah Zazai, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shinwari, Rashid Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq Murid, Fazalhaq Farooqi

SL vs AFG Key Players

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan is doing really well in T20 leagues around the World, but his international numbers are taking a hit. His numbers in the recent Ireland series were poor and Afghanistan will want greater contributions from him as they move ahead, considering he is their biggest superstar.

Wanindu Hasaranga

Wanindu Hasaranga is another leg-spinner who is doing really well in T20 leagues, when he gets his chance. He doesn’t play in as many leagues as Rashid Kha, and he also has a decent record in international cricket. He is easily Sri Lanka’s biggest star at the moment, and Sri Lanka will be depending on him badly in this competition.

See Also: England vs India 2nd ODI Match Prediction – Cricket Winner

SL vs AFG Match Tips

The upcoming game has a lot of mini match-ups which could determine how the match goes. The biggest off them all though is the battle of the leg-spinners. With Rashid Khan not doing so well internationally, Hasaranga has a strong chance of edging that battle. Unless Afghanistan’s batters or Rashid Khan notch up something special Sri Lanka are likely to go back happy after the upcoming game.

Match Prediction: Sri Lanka Will Win the Match