SRILANKA VS AFGHANISTAN PREVIEW- 2nd ODI*
*THE BUILD UP:*
Srilanka suffered a defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in their opening encounter. Much to everyone’s surprise, the Dasun Shanaka led unit must have not expected to be on the receiving end of the carnage to begin the series with and come the 2nd ODI, they would be looking eagerly to bouncing back in style and leveling the three-match series. What would have hurt Lanka the most would be their inability to break open the game with their bowling efforts, casually allowing the duo of Rahmat and Zadran to stitch a 146 run stand and kill the game then and there. They would hope for a better show with the ball in hand and choke the opposition at their own backyard.
*SRILANKA PROBABLE XI:*
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(wk), Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dhananjaya DeSilva, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Kasun Rajitha/Matheesha Pathirana
Surprisingly, the experienced duo of Theekshana and Hasaranga were left out of the Playing XI but with a series at stake and to bolster the Lankan spin attack on a slowish surface, expect the two to return and make an immediate impact to crush the hopes of Afghanistan of claiming a series win. We saw how the wicket got flatter as the match progressed and on such tracks, the wizardry of Theekshana coupled with the experience of Hasaranga will prove to be crucial for the home side.
The Lankan top order (top 4) was successful at accumulating a mere 65 runs as the lower order eventually had to come to the rescue. The runs upfront will be crucial for Srilanka if they have to set a big total for Afghanistan, to leave a much greater space for their bowling department to operate in. Nissanka registered a slowish 59 ball 38, another aspect where SL would look to make gains is the strike rate at which their opener bats.
The success found by Rajitha means he is going to retain his spot and that makes the return of Chameera to the XI nearly impossible. What they could do is drop Pathirana and play Chameera as the Hambantota surface offered assistance to the quicker bowlers with the new ball and Chameera is an excellent operator of the new ball.
*AFGHANISTAN PROBABLE XI:*
Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai/Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Reports are floating in about the availability of Rashid Khan for the second fixture here at the Hambantota stadium. He could feature at the harsh expense of Omarzai.
It was a solid all round effort from Afgh as they restricted SL to 268 last game, not allowing that final flourish and chipping in with wickets at regular intervals. With Rashid returning, this attack will only be strengthened, making life tougher if you’re a Lankan supporter. With the game being played at the same surface, the outfield may have slowed down, bringing the spinners more into play and we could expect yet another clash of spin bowling between two sides heavily packed with similar type bowlers.
The best bit about this venue is the lack of toss advantage as sides batting or bowling first have shared similar success and no result has been heavily influenced by the toss. However, looking at the last result, both captains would look to bowl first with the surface likely to become better for batting as the match progresses. The team that bats better will come on top and SL have a task cut out.
*MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE GAME:*
*FOR SL:*
Highest Run getter- Pathum Nissanka/Charitha Asalanka
Highest wicket taker- Wanindu Hasaranga/Kasun Rajitha
*FOR AFGHANISTAN:*
Highest run getter- Rahmat Shah/Rahmatullah Gurbaz
Highest wicket taker- Mujeeb Ur Rehman/Faruq Ul Farooqi
*FOR THIS GAME:*
SL to bounce back and with this one.