Asian Teams Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are all set to square off against each other in the third and final T20 International of the three match T20i series at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium of Dambulla. The match will begin at 7:00pm IST.
After whitewashing Afghanistan in the three – match ODI series 3-0, the Lankans have secured the T20 International series as well having triumphed in the first two matches and they would be looking to whitewash the Afghans in the T20 series as well.
In the previous match, the Ibrahim Zadran led team had won the toss and opted to bow first. The hosts started their innings with a bang as both the openers took full advantage of the powerplay. But the duo of Azmatullah Omarzai and Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed both the openers in the fourth and fifth overs of the Sri Lankan innings respectively.
Mohammad Nabi dismissed Dhananjaya de Silva (14 runs in 14 balls) in the tenth over as the hosts were struggling at 86-3. Then Sadeera Samarawickrama (51 runs in 42 balls) came into bat at number four and solidified the Lankan innings with this brilliant half century knock. Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga (22 runs in 9 balls) and Angelo Mathews (42 runs in 22 balls) applied the finishing touches with the bat and helped their side post a score of 187 runs on the board.
The visitors had a huge task in front of them to chase a big total against a good bowling attack. They needed their openers to help their team get off to a good start but Angelo Mathews dismissed the opening duo of Hazratullah Zazai (1 run in 2 balls) and Skipper Ibrahim Zadran (10 runs in 7 balls) in quick succession within the first two overs of the Afghanistan innings. Maheesh Theekshana and Binura Fernando ran through the middle order of the visitors as Afghanistan lost five wickets at the score of 31 runs within the first five overs. Karim Janat (28 runs in 23 balls) and Mohammad Nabi (27 runs in 17 balls) fought back with some decent knocks but they weren’t able to save their team from a 72 runs defeat as the Afghans were bundled out for 115 runs in 15 overs.
The Ibrahim Zadran led team are yet to win a single match on this tour of Sri Lanka and they would like to end the T20i series on good note by winning the third T20i. The Wanindu Hasaranga led team, on the other hand would be looking to clean sweep the Afghans by defeating them in the third T20i
Match Information
Tournament: Afghanistan’s tour of Sri Lanka, 2024
Match: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, third T20i
Date: 21st, February, 2024
Day and Time: Wednesday, 7:00 pm IST
Venue: Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla.
H2H Record Between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in T20 Internationals
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have played seven T20i matches against each and out of those seven games, five have been won by the Sri Lankans while Afghanistan have triumphed over the Lankans two times.
Total Matches played- 7
Sri Lanka won- 5
Afghanistan won- 2
Pitch Report
The pitch of Dambulla’s Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium is a balanced one which provides assistance to both batters and bowlers. In the initial overs, the new ball provides an adequate amount of bounce to the seamers but as the match progresses, spinners start coming into play as the pitch provides turn and improved grip.
Where and how can I watch the third T20i between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan?
One can watch the third T20i between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on the Sony Sports network on television while the match will also be broadcasted on the Sony Liv application and website.
Weather Report
The weather for the third T20i is expected to be clear and sunny with zero chances of rainfall. The temperature is anticipated to be around 32 degrees Celsius with a humidity percentage of 59%. The wind speed is expected to be 13 km/h.
Must Pick Players
- Wanindu Hasaranga- The highest run getter of this series so far, Hasaranga has managed to score 89 runs and has picked up three scalps as well. He is a must pick for your team.
- Matheesha Pathirana- The CSK fast bowler has been lethal with the ball having picked up six wickets and he has troubled the Afghan batters with his line and length. He’s another must pick player for your Dream 11 team.
- Angelo Mathews- The veteran All – Rounder has been using his experience quite well as has scored 48 runs and picked up three wickets as well. He is in good form and you should definitely pick him in your fantasy team.
Players to avoid
- Binura Fernando- Fernando has been really expensive with the ball and has picked up just two wickets in two games. Your team will be better off without him.
- Gulbadin Naib- Naib has scored just 20 runs with the bat and has failed to pick any wickets. It would be better to leave him out of the team.
Playing 11’s of both the teams (Predicted)
Sri Lanka- Kusal Mendis (WK), Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga (C), Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Angelo Mathews, Binura Fernando, Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana.
Afghanistan- Ibrahim Zadran (C), Gulbadin Naib, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Hazratullah Zazai, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Karim Janat and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Suggested Dream11 Fantasy Team No. 1 for SL vs AFG
Wicket – Keepers- Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama
Batters- Pathum Nissanka, Ibrahim Zadran
All – Rounders- Mohammad Nabi, Wanindu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews and Azmatullah Omarzai
Bowlers- Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Matheesha Pathirana.
Suggested Dream11 Fantasy Team No. 2 for SL vs AFG
Wicket – Keepers- Kusal Mendis
Batters- Ibrahim Zadran and Pathum Nissanka
All – Rounders- Mohammad Nabi, Wanindu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews and Azmatullah Omarzai
Bowlers- Naveen – Ul – Haq, Matheesha Pathirana, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Maheesh Theekshana
Captain and Vice – Captain Options
Wanindu Hasaranga, Angelo Mathews and Matheesha Pathirana.
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