Sri Lanka takes on Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series after beating them in the one-off Test and ODI series. All three matches will be starting from 7 pm IST and will be played in Dambulla.
Sri Lanka are placed eighth in the T20I rankings heading into this series. Afghanistan, on the other hand, are placed tenth. The Lankans who had a forgetful ODI World Cup campaign need to take this series as a dress rehearsal for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by big margins in the three-match ODI series. They won the first ODI by 42 runs, the second by 155 runs, and the third by seven wickets. Pathum Nissanka scored 346 runs in the ODI series including a double century in the first ODI and a century in the third.
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The ODI series win should have boosted the confidence of the players who had a forgetful ODI campaign. This T20I series is expected to be a more competitive series. Sri Lanka lost to Afghanistan when they last met in the 50-over World Cup. They were also pushed to the brink in the recently concluded ODI and T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Wanindu Hasaranga will lead the side. He will be pairing up with his spinning partner Maheesh Theekshan. Sri Lanka will have plenty of exciting players to choose from for the first T20I. In this article, we predict the team’s playing XI for the first T20I.
Sri Lanka Playing 11 vs Afghanistan, 1st T20I, 2024
Pathum Nissanka
Nissanka will open the batting. He is fresh off an ODI series with 346 runs from three matches at an average of 173.00. He will be eager to make an impact to remain in contention for T20 World Cup selection.
Kusal Perera (WK)
Perera will open the batting for the Lankans. He is a specialist T20 batter in the side. He plays across different T20 leagues earning his reputation as a big-hitter. He bats with a strike rate of close to 140 in the format.
Kusal Mendis
Mendis is the ODI skipper. He is likely to bat at three. He is more of an ODI and Test match batter and will need to adjust his game to the T20I format. He is approaching 1500 runs in the format.
Charith Asalanka
Charith Asalanka will bat at four. He also bats with a high strike rate in the format and scores runs quickly. He can bat anywhere in the top and middle order and does the job for the team. He also bowls off-spin if required.
Angelo Mathews
Mathews is a part of the T20I squad. He scored a century in the one-off Test and scored but could not too many runs in the ODI series. The veteran should be picked for the first T20I. He played in the T20I series against Zimbabwe.
Dasun Shanaka
Dasun Shanaka can slot in at six. In Mathews and Shanaka, Sri Lanka have two of the most experienced batters in the middle order. Shanaka stepped down as captain after the World Cup but can still make an impact in T20I cricket.
Wanindu Hasaranga (C)
Hasaranga will slot in at seven. He is a decent batter in the lower order and one of Sri Lanka’s strike bowlers in the format. He is two shy of 100 T20I wickets. The leggie was chosen as Sri Lanka’s new T20I skipper.
Maheesh Theekshana
Theekshana can bat at eight. He will pair up with Hasaranga as the spin twin from the other end. The off-break bowler has picked up 40 wickets from 41 T20Is and last played against Zimbabwe.
Dilshan Madushanka
Madushanka will lead the pace attack. He was a touch expensive in the ODI series leaking runs at an average of 72.50 and picking up just two wickets. The left-arm pacer has picked up just 14 wickets from 13 T20Is.
Matheesha Pathirana
Pathirana should be back for the T20I series. He missed the ODI series as he was playing for the Desert Vipers in the ILT20. It will be interesting to see how the Afghan batters play him with his unusual action.
Binura Fernando
Fernando concludes the likely playing XI for Sri Lanka. He was called up by the board for this series. The left-arm pacer was in the Asia Cup 2023 squad but did not play a game. He last featured for Sri Lanka in the 2022 T20 World Cup
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