ICC World Cup 2019 Match 7, Afghanistan v Sri Lanka: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

Both Afghanistan and Sri Lanka are looking for their first win in the tournament after having endured heavy defeats against Australia and New Zealand in their opening matches. In the first clash between two Asian teams at the 2019 World Cup, the 1996 champions, Sri Lanka, take on a team that has qualified for the tournament only for the second time but has grown strength to strength in the intervening four years between their maiden World Cup in 2015 and this edition.

A glimpse of Afghanistan’s strength was witnessed in the warm-up games when they beat Pakistan before they were hammered by England. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are yet to taste victory on this tour – they lost both their warm-up clashes against South Africa and Australia.

With Mohammad Shahzad, Mohammad Nabi, captain Gulbadin Naib and Rahmat Shah in the top six, Afghanistan boast of decent batsmen who have had their share of success in top-flight ODI cricket but are yet to show the composure to deal with the pressure that comes with World Cup clashes. Shahzad and Nabi were dismissed for single-digit scores against Australia and while Shah (43) and Naib (31) got starts, they couldn’t go on to convert them into big scores.

Had it not been for Najibullah Zadran’s 51 lower down the order, Afghanistan would not have reached the 205 that eventually did even as they failed to play out their 50 overs and were dismissed in the 39^th. And while Rashid Khan and Mujeed Ur Rahman picked up a wicket each, they were taken for plenty as the Afghan bowling attack crumbled against the experienced defending champions.

Sri Lanka, too, have a similar story to tell. They were blown away by the New Zealand bowlers on a green Cardiff surface for a paltry 136 as only Dimuth Karunaratne (52*) could pose some resistance against Trent Boult and company. And then Martin Guptill and Colin Munro led an all-out attack, taking apart the Lankan bowlers and finishing off the chase in just 16.1 overs.

In terms of overall strength, the teams look equally matched and both sides will look to use this game to raise their game to the next level when they meet at the Cardiff Wales Stadium.

Head to head

Sri Lanka hold a narrow 2-1 lead over their opponents in ODI cricket as the teams have only ever faced each other on three occasions. One of these clashes came in the 2015 World Cup where Sri Lanka won by four wickets. Afghanistan’s only victory came in the 2018 Asia Cup where they stunned the former Asian Champions by 91 runs.

Key players

Rahmat Shah (Afghanistan): On a green Cardiff surface and after Afghanistan had lost both their openers early, Shah helped rebuild the innings by sharing a crucial partnership with Hashmatullah Shahidi  thereby making it easy for the likes of Naib and Zadran to play freely later in the innings. Shah’s recent form has also been good – he scored a century against Scotland and a half-century against Ireland in the lead-up to the tournament.

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka): Malinga was taken for runs by Australia but on a surface helpful for bowlers the utility of a bowler that experienced cannot be underestimated. Fresh off a good IPL final, the former ODI captain will look to make a difference with the new ball as well as at the death.

Likely XIs

Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Hazaratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeb Ur Rahman, Hamid Hasan.

Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thrimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Perera (wk), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Milinda Siriwardena, Suranga Lakmal, Jeffrey Vandersay, Lasith Malinga.