🏏Asia Cup 2023: M6: SL vs AFG in Lahore on 05/09/2023 at 3PM IST 🏏

🏏Asia Cup 2023: M6: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on 05/09/2023 at 3PM IST 🏏

One huge loss is all it takes to edge closer to elimination in this format of the tournament. Bangladesh, under intense pressure in the game against Afghanistan, came up with a scintillating performance with the bat to shift that pressure onto their opponents. And now, Afghanistan are under the pump and are in need of a Herculean effort with both bat and ball to progress to the Super Four.

It will be no easy task given Sri Lanka themselves are in good form despite missing some key bowlers. Sri Lanka breezed past Bangladesh to currently top the group and will have to avoid a huge defeat in this encounter to progress into the Super Four.

Following their win over Afghanistan, Bangladesh are almost through to the Super Four. Even if Afghanistan manage to win by a huge margin to topple Bangladesh in terms of NRR, it will be Sri Lanka who will be under the pump as their NRR would likely fall below Bangladesh's. This three-way tussle is extremely close, but in reality, two out of those three teams are the favourites to go through.

If Sri Lanka end up posting 300, Afghanistan will have to chase it down with almost 19 overs to spare to go past Bangladesh's NRR. And if Afghanistan end up making 300 with the bat by batting first, the margin of defeat will have to be at least 127 runs. Both these tasks are no mean feat.

These two sides did face off as recently as in June and even though Afghanistan won the opening ODI, Sri Lanka staged a strong comeback to thrash their opponents in the next two to seal the series. In that final ODI in particular, they just blew away their opponents in style with the ball and Afghanistan would be wary of that.

However, it's their performance with the ball against Bangladesh that would concern them. Both Mujeeb ur Rahman and Rashid Khan ended up conceding runs at over six an over. They will back themselves to bounce back against a batting line up that stuttered to chase down a 160-plus target just a few days ago but how much burden will they have to shoulder to turn their fortunes around is the question.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka: Pitch Report

The pitch at Gaddafi Stadium looks like a wonderful track to bat on. There will be some assistance for the bowlers in the initial part of the game but the deck becomes good for batting as the game progresses. Fans can expect a high-scoring affair on Tuesday.

Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka: Weather Forecast

The temperature in Lahore is expected to range between 26 and 37 degrees Celsius. It will stay humid throughout the day.

Pitch and conditions

Scores of 300 are par for the course in Lahore, with Bangladesh hitting 334 last time out without much trouble. The weather too is expected to be hot and humid, with highs touching 37 degrees potentially, although it should settle around 26 degrees by evening. Winning the toss and batting first seems a no-brainer.

Team News

Afghanistan

Najibullah Zadran needs runs but there is doubt that he will be dropped for this crucial encounter. In the bowling department, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Gulabdin Naib went for runs. It will be interesting to see if they stick with them or opt to make a change.

Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Sri Lanka

The chances of Sri Lanka making changes to their winning combination are quite slim.

Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana

When: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka on September 5, 2023 at 14:30 local time, 15:00 IST

Where: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

What to expect: While rain continues to threaten the games in Sri Lanka, there is no such issue in Lahore with the temperatures expected to be warm. Seamers generally make an impact at this venue.

Stats and trivia

• A win would see Sri Lanka record a 12th consecutive ODI victory, the second-longest such streak in history. Pakistan (once) and South Africa (twice) have also won 12 in a row, while Australia hold the all-time record with 21 straight wins.
• Sri Lanka have played 13 matches in Lahore, and won nine. Their win percentage of 69.23% is the highest of any side to have played at least ten games at the Gaddafi Stadium there.
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz is 46 runs away from reaching 1000 ODI runs.

In the spotlight

Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been a part of every single edition of the LPL, so the Sri Lankans will be quite familiar with his game. Which means they'll know that if allowed to proceed unchecked, he is a genuine match winner. Gurbaz also has the propensity to either go big or go home; in his last ten ODI innings, he has scores of 145 and 151, even as five others were in single digits. His highest score in that period aside from his centuries is 22. A firing Gurbaz is a must if Afghanistan are to complete this escape act.

The nature of Lahore's pitch means that any result is pretty much a shootout between each side's respective batters, but in Maheesh Theekshana, Sri Lanka possess a secret weapon. Theekshana is as consistent as they come: in 23 ODIs, he has grabbed at least one wicket in all but five matches, while his economy rate has breached the five-runs-per-over mark just five times. The only caveat is that he has played all these matches either at home or in Zimbabwe, both providing conditions that have suited him quite nicely. In Lahore, he won't have that luxury, but it's a test he will most certainly relish.

Thank you, Raji, for the thread and for tagging me.

One huge loss is all it takes to edge closer to elimination in this format of the tournament. Bangladesh, under intense pressure in the game against Afghanistan, came up with a scintillating performance with the bat to shift that pressure onto their opponents. And now, Afghanistan are under the pump and are in need of a Herculean effort with both bat and ball to progress to the Super Four.

Thank you for the tag