Large image: A recent chapter for Sri Lanka
The Afghanistan males’s crew has performed seven Exams of their historical past; for Sri Lanka, that is the first of eight (maybe 9) scheduled for 2024. That is, on the floor, a mismatch.
Rashid Khan just isn’t with Afghanistan to present his menacing legbreaks and basic inspiration – he’s nonetheless recovering from again surgical procedure, and has not performed aggressive cricket since November. Their most skilled spinner in a nation the place spin incessantly decides matches is left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan, who has a mean of 44.90 from his 4 Exams. And having arrived in Sri Lanka solely on Tuesday night time, they’ve given themselves lower than three days to acclimatise. This, more and more, is the quantity of respect Exams are given in some components of the world.
The place Afghanistan will really feel they can meet Sri Lanka on extra equal phrases, nonetheless, is with the bat. In the shorter codecs, Ibrahim Zadran has had success in opposition to Sri Lanka, as has Rahmat Shah, whereas captain Hashmatullah Shahidi averages 53.57 in Take a look at cricket. In the ODIs Afghanistan have performed in Sri Lanka, it’s their batting that has most impressed. They are going to take no little confidence of their current dominance over Sri Lanka’s bowling in that format.
Sri Lanka are at the starting of a recent chapter – Dhananjaya de Silva is getting his first Take a look at at the helm. To this point, he has not promised something radical. A larger emphasis on fielding, maybe, but no wholesale overhauling of technique or personnel. He has been a dynamic presence in the Sri Lanka Take a look at facet, having currently grown into a first rate lower-middle-order batter, who contributes considerably with ball and in the subject as effectively. How he marshals an assault with none out-and-out matchwinners and the way incessantly he bowls himself will make for fascinating viewing.
Sri Lanka LLWWL (final 5 Exams, most up-to-date first)
Afghanistan LWLLW
In the highlight: Dimuth Karunaratne and Ibrahim Zadran
Dimuth Karunaratne had requested to step down from the captaincy after the final World Take a look at Championship cycle. The selectors had requested him to dangle on for yet another yr, but have now lastly let him go. Karunaratne is the solely Sri Lanka participant to have made the ICC’s Take a look at groups of the yr since 2017 – he has been there 3 times, together with in 2023 – and, since the begin of 2021, has averaged 56.18, excellent for an opener. If there are good batting days at SSC, which is his house floor in home cricket, count on him to money in.
Ibrahim Zadran‘s ODI scores in opposition to Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka are: 22, 54, 98, 162, 10, 106. It’s round him that the high order has tended to rally on the island, and from him they’ve taken cues on how to play spin. He has not been fairly so constant in Exams, with three fifties in the ten innings he has performed up to now. But with the SSC floor anticipated to be first rate for batting over the first three days (and significantly after the first morning), Ibrahim is greatest positioned from his facet to make a substantial rating.
Sri Lanka have a settled batting order but might toy with the concept of taking part in a third seamer in the event that they really feel Afghanistan are vulnerable to good seam bowling.
Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Nishan Madushka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), 7 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 8 Ramesh Mendis/Kasun Rajitha, 9 Prabath Jayasuriya, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Vishwa Fernando
Shahidi spoke on the eve of the match about testing Sri Lanka’s batters with tempo, which might imply that Mohammad Saleem is in for a Take a look at debut. Zahir will seemingly be amongst the frontline spinners, with left-arm fingerspinner Zia-ur-Rehman one other potential choice, particularly as Zia can add worth with the bat.
Afghanistan (possible): 1 Ibrahim Zadran, 2 Abdul Malik, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Nasir Jamal, 6 Bahir Shah, 7 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 8 Zia-ur-Rehman, 9 Yamin Ahmadzai, 10 Mohammad Saleem, 11 Zahir Khan
There was a tinge of inexperienced at the SSC on the eve of the sport, which suggests there will probably be some seam motion on the first morning. Anticipate it to flatten out and get higher for spin later, nonetheless. At first look, this didn’t appear the spinner’s paradise the SSC has typically been for Exams over the previous six years. The climate has been comparatively dry in Colombo over February. Solely temporary showers are forecast.
