SL vs AFG Today Match Prediction- 3rd T20I, Who Will Win Today’s T20I Match? 2024

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The SL vs AFG third and final T20I will be played in Dambulla on February 21, Wednesday. The match starts at 7 pm IST and will conclude the T20I series. The Lankans have already won the series by winning the first two matches.

Afghanistan are yet to win a single match in this tour so far. They came the closest in the first T20I when they lost the match by just four runs. They lost the second T20I by 72 runs and are now staring at a clean sweep.

The hosts have been dominant throughout. They won the ODI series by big margins and have also managed to keep the winning run by winning the first two games. Hasaranga as the skipper has made all the right moves and has achieved success.

Team Analysis

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka are led by Wanindu Hasaranga. He won his maiden T20I series as captain against Zimbabwe and has done pretty well to lead his team in the first two games. Sri Lanka seems to be well prepared for the T20 World Cup with their players slowly getting back to form.

Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Angelo Mathews, Pathum Nissanka, and Kusal Mendis are the core of the side right now and their T20 World Cup squad should be prepared around them.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan are yet to win a single match in this series so far. They lost the one-off Test and were whitewashed in the ODI series. They lost the first two T20Is too are and staring at a clean sweep.

The batting looks the stronger suit of the visitors in the absence of Rashid Khan. There will be added pressure on the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad to deliver in the absence of Rashid Khan. Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Mohammad Nabi are the likely key batters for Afghanistan in the first SL vs AFG T20I.

Key Factors

Pitch Conditions

The pitch at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla has been a very good one for batting so far. The first T20I saw Sri Lanka post 160 batting first. The second T20I saw them post 187. There is a spin on the track and the Lankan spinners have used the conditions better than the Afghan spinners. It will be interesting to see how the pitch plays in the third T20I. The pitch has no demons and Afghanistan’s batting in this series has been below par.

Form and Fitness

Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s form throughout the series has been a big concern for the team. He failed to score runs in the ODI series and has not scored too many in the T20I series as well. The keeper-batter scored 13 each in the first two games. Fitness-wise, Afghanistan are missing Rashid Khan who is out and rehabilitating after undergoing a lower-back surgery.

For Sri Lanka, there have been different players standing up for them in different matches. It was Pathum Nissanka in the ODI series. In the T20I series, it was skipper Wanindu Hasaranga who scored an unbeaten 67. In the second T20I, it was Angelo Mathews who played an important came. The bowlers have shared the wickers between themselves in the series. The team has no injury concerns.

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Tactical Acumen

Sri Lanka are banking on their home advantage to win the T20I series against Afghanistan. They beat them in the one-off Test and the ODI series banking on their spinners. Afghanistan has a young captain Ibrahim Zadran and he needs support from senior players.

SL vs AFG Scores Prediction

Team	1st Innings	2nd Innings
Sri Lanka	180-200	140-160
Afghanistan	150-170	130-150

Recent Venue Records (Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla)

STATS – T20

Total matches 5

Matches won batting first 3

Matches won bowling first 2

Average 1st Inns scores 149

Average 2nd Inns scores 128

Highest total recorded 187/6 (20 Ov) by SL vs AFG

Lowest total recorded 115/10 (17 Ov) by AFG vs SL

Highest score chased 141/3 (17 Ov) by SLW vs INDW

Lowest score defended 160/10 (19 Ov) by SL vs AFG

Who Will Score Most Runs For Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews / Pathum Nissanka

Who Will Take Most Wickets For Sri Lanka: Wanindu Hasaranga / Maheesh Theekshana

Who Will Score Most Runs For Afghanistan: Rahmaullah Gurbaz / Ibrahim Zadran

Who Will Take Most Wickets For Afghanistan: Noor Ahmad / Mujeeb Ur Rahman