Afghanistan will eye to finish their ODI series against Sri Lanka on a winning note by vanquishing Sri Lanka in the SL vs AFG 3rd ODI. The encounter takes place on Wednesday, February 14 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka. Hashmatullah Shahidi leads Afghanistan in the SL vs AFG ODI series.
Afghanistan has failed to make a mark in the series. They lost both the opening games and have already lost their series. Moreover, Afghanistan also faced batting collapses in both ODI encounters.
Now, the Afghan team might opt for changes in the playing 11 in the final encounter. Below we take a glance at Afghanistan’s predicted playing 11 for SL vs AFG 3rd ODI.
Afghanistan Playing 11 vs Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI, 2024
Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Rahmanullah Gurbaz might be the opener for Afghanistan in the 3rd ODI as well. The right-handed batter has failed to come up with powerful knocks in both games. He got out for single digits in both matches. However, he is an experienced batter for the team. Gurbaz will aim for a comeback in the next encounter.
Also Read: “After we came back from World Cup…” – Charith Asalanka wants batting-friendly pitches in Sri Lanka
Ibrahim Zadran
Ibrahim Zadran got out cheaply for just 4 runs in Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 1st ODI. However, he made a comeback by smacking a half-century in the 2nd game. Zadran will aim for a similar batting show in the next match.
Rahmat Shah
Rahmat Shah was another brilliant batter in the previous encounter, who shattered 63 runs off 69 balls. With his 97-run stand with Zadran, he helped the team to get a good start. Rahman Shah will be retained by Afghanistan in the playing 11 after his fabulous batting show in the last encounter.
Hashmatullah Shahidi (C)
Hashmatullah Shahidi is the captain of the team in the AFG vs SL ODI series. He will lead the team in the final match as well. The left-handed batter got out for single digits in both games. He needs to pull up his socks in the final encounter.
Also Read: Sunil Gavaskar labels Rahmanullah Gurbaz as “slight copy of MS Dhoni”
Azmatullah Omarzai
Azmatullah Omarzai got out cheaply for 3 runs in the previous game. However, he shattered a century in the opening match. With his unbeaten 149 runs, he helped the team to evade a miserable defeat. However, they could not win the match. With 3 wickets, the right-arm seamer is also the leading wicket-taker for the team.
Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi will be an all-rounder for Afghanistan in the final clash against Sri Lanka. The right-handed batter shattered a stunning century in the opening game and set up an impeccable 242-run stand with Omarzai for the 6th wicket. Nabi got out for just 1 run in the last match. He will look to return with a marvellous innings in the next encounter.
Gulbadin Naib
Gulbadin Naib might be a pace all-rounder for Afghanistan in the next match. Naib has largely failed to make an impact in the SL vs AFG ODI series. He failed to get wickets across both games and hit just 16 runs across 2 games. He got out for a duck in the last match. However, he is an experienced member of the squad and will look for a better show in the next match.
Ikram Alikhil (WK)
Ikram Alikhil might be the wicketkeeper and a lower-order batter for the team in the next match. Alikhil scored failed to score in the last match by getting out for just 4 runs. However, he scored an unbeaten 10 runs in the opening match. Alikhil is a powerful lower-order batsman with the ability to smash runs down the order.
Noor Ahmad
Noor Ahmad might be a spinner for the team. In the absence of Rashid Khan, Ahmad becomes a powerful addition to the spin department. The left-arm spinner went wicketless in the opening game but got 1 scalp in the last match. He will look to increase his wickets tally in the last match.
Qais Ahmad
Qais Ahmad might be retained as another spinner in the next match against Sri Lanka. The leg spinner picked up 1 wicket in the last match. He replaced Fareed Ahmad in the playing 11 after missing the opening game. Ahmad will aim to grab more wickets in the final match.
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Fazalhaq Farooqi will lead the pace attack for Afghanistan in SL vs AFG 3rd ODI. Farooqi is among the most experienced pacers for the team in the series. The left-arm pacer has only picked 1 wicket across 2 games as Afghan bowlers have completely failed to dominate Sri Lanka batters. However, Afghanistan cannot risk benching an experienced member like Farooqi from the playing 11.
