SL vs AFG Match Preview- 3rd T20I, 2024

Sri Lanka and Afghanistan face off in the SL vs AFG third T20I match that concludes the three-match series. Sri Lanka have already won the series by winning the first two games. They won the first T20I by four runs and the second by 72 runs. The hosts are now looking for a clean sweep. 

Date and Venue

The SL vs AFG third T20I will be played in Dambulla on February 21. The match starts at 7 pm IST. The series was expected to be closely contested but the hosts have outplayed the visitors in the first two games by registering victories. 

Team Analysis- SL vs AFG Match Preview- 3rd T20I, 2024

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka into this series after beating Afghanistan handsomely in the Test and ODI series. They won the one-off Test by 10 wickets and earned biog victories in the three ODIs. Sri Lanka won the first ODI by 42 runs, second by 155 runs, and third by seven wickets. 

They have swept them away in the T20I series as well. They held their nerves to snatch up a win in the first match which was a close finish. In the second T20I, they bowled out the opposition for just 115, after putting up 187 on the board. 

Everything has fallen into place so far for the Islanders, Their batters have scored runs, and their bowlers have taken wickets. Wanindu Hasaranga has had a good start to stint as Sri Lanka’s T20I captain. A clean sweep will be the ideal way to finish the series on a high. The team has ticked many of the boxes correctly ahead of the T20 World Cup. 

Sri Lanka Squad 

Wanindu Hasaranga (C), Charith Asalanka (VC), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya De Silva, Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Binura Fernando

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Afghanistan 

Nothing has gone right for the Ibrahim Zadran-led Afghanistan team in this tour so far. They lost the one-off Test and the ODI series. They were expected to bounce back in the T20I series, a format where they have achieved a lot of success in the last few months. However, the gulf between the two teams only widened. Now Sri Lanka have won five out of the seven T20Is played against Afghanistan. 

The batters have let the team down in the series so far especially Rahmanullah Gurbaz. He earned a reputation of being a hard-hitting opener but has not taken the responsibility at the top. He scored 13 each in the first two games putting too much pressure on the middle and the lower-order. 

The absence of Rashid Khan has weakened the bowling attack a lot more. He is out of the team since he underwent the surgery after the World Cup but the other spinners could not make the most of his absence. 

Afghanistan Squad 

 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Najibullah Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Qais Ahmad, Noor Ahmad, Wafadar Momand, Mohammad Ishaq

Key Battles

Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Wanindu Hasaranga 

The Gurbaz vs Hasaranga is one of the most important battles in the SL vs AFG T20I. So far the leggie has dismissed the Afghan keeper-batter once each in ODIs and T20Is. He has dismissed Gurbaz one each in ODIs and T20Is as well. Given that Gurbaz needs to score quick runs for his team, the hosts will look to dismiss him early and Hasaranga will be the ideal match-up against him. 

Angelo Mathews vs Mohammad Nabi 

This should be a nice battle between the two experienced customers. Mathews played a lovely cameo in the last game while Nabi being the most experienced of the Afghanistan bowlers should look to gun down his wicket in the final overs. 

Key Players 

For Afghanistan, Gurbaz and Ibrahim are the key players with the bat. The Afghan batters have let themselves down in the ODI series and the first two games hence need to up their game in the T20I series.

They will need to give enough runs to their bowlers to win the contest. With the ball, the spin twins, Noor Ahmad, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are the key bowlers. Both teams will employ the spin to win formulae to win the game and the Afghans have their key weapons ready. 

For Sri Lanka, after the last game, Mathews becomes a crucial player in the final overs. Charith Asalanka is the other as he can score quick runs in the final overs. Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana are the two key bowlers from Sri Lanka for this game. 

Weather and Pitch

The weather prediction for the SL vs AFG third T20I is pretty clear on Wednesday. The temperature will be around 31 degrees during the day while it will drop to 22 degrees and the sky will be fairly clear in the evening. 

The venue has hosted just five T20I games with two three matches won by the team batting first and two chasing. The average first innings score is close to 150. With the batting firepower on both sides, we can expect a high-scoring contest. 

Conclusion

Sri Lanka will look to rise the T20I rankings if they manage to clean sweep Afghanistan. Afghanistan, on the other hand, will look to salvage a victory, avoid a clean sweep, and finish the series on a positive note.

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