Afghanistan are set to battle Sri Lanka in the 20th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Monday, October 30 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Fantasy cricket punters can pick their players and form their own teams for the Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka cricket match. Afghanistan have registered two wins in five matches in the World Cup 2023. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led team beat reigning champions England and arch-rivals Pakistan to collect four points, taking them to seventh in the points table. They were defeated by Bangladesh, India and New Zealand earlier in the tournament.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have also won two of their five games but are placed fifth in the points table, courtesy of a superior net run rate. After losing their opening three clashes, Kusal Mendis and Co. toppled the Netherlands and England in the next two matches. Angelo Mathews has made his way into the Sri Lankan squad while captain Dasun Shanaka is ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
The Sri Lankan team beat Afghanistan in a nail-biting encounter by two runs in the recent Asia Cup 2023 in September, which was the last time the two sides faced each other in ODI cricket.
Overall, Sri Lanka have been the dominant team in ODIs versus Afghanistan, winning seven of the 11 encounters. The Afghanistan team won only three, the latest in June 2023, while one match finished without a result.
Weather conditions
The temperature at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune is predicted to be 28.63 degrees Celsius with 33 per cent humidity.
Pitch report
The Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium pitch will aid both batters and bowlers. Teams batting first have scored an average of 300 runs in the eight ODIs played here.
Batting first is recommended at the stadium as teams have won four of the eight contests doing so.
AFG vs SL predicted playing XI
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad
Sri Lanka:Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera
AFG vs SL fantasy XI World Cup 2023
Wicket-keepers: Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Batters: Ibrahim Zadran, Pathum Nissanka
Bowlers: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Kasun Rajitha, Rashid Khan, Dilshan Madushanka
All-rounders: Angelo Mathews, Azmatullah Omarzai
We have picked six players from Sri Lanka in our fantasy XI.
Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are the top wicket-keeper picks for the upcoming encounter.
Samarawickrama has scored 295 runs in five matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, averaging 98.33 while striking at 106.49. The 28-year-old player scored 108 against Pakistan followed by an unbeaten 91 against the Netherlands and an unbeaten 65 versus England.
Mendis, meanwhile, has notched 229 runs, including a ton against Pakistan and a half-century against South Africa. Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz has made 224 runs with two fifties while boasting a strike-rate of 44.80.
Among batters, Pathum Nissanka is the top pick for your fantasy XIs. The Sri Lankan opener has registered four back-to-back half-centuries, scoring 243 runs in his last four matches. Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran has made 173 runs at an average of 34.60, which makes him one of the must-have picks in the side.
The all-rounders will be vital in this fantasy team as we have gone for Angelo Mathews from Sri Lanka and Azmatullah Omarzai from Afghanistan.
Angelo Mathews bowled a spell of 5-1-14-2 against England in his first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. The veteran all-rounder has scored 5865 runs in ODI cricket at an average of 41.01. Azmatullah Omarzai, meanwhile, has piled up 130 runs and scalped four wickets in the tournament.
There are four bowlers in this Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka fantasy XI, two from each nation.
Dilshan Madushanka is the leading wicket-taker in the team with 11 wickets in five matches, including a four-for against the Netherlands. Fellow Sri Lankan pacer Kasun Rajitha also features after seven wickets in three matches, which also included a four-wicket haul against the Dutch side.
Two Afghanistan spinners – Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan – complete the team. The duo have picked up six wickets, each, in this tournament. Rashid Khan, however, has bowled at a superior economy rate of 4.86.
Captain: Kusal Mendis
Kusal Mendis has lit up the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with his flamboyant batting. He has smashed 243 runs at an average of 45.80 while striking an incredible 142.23, hitting 22 fours and 14 sixes. The Sri Lankan captain is the prime contender for captaincy in this match.
Vice-captain: Rashid Khan
Afghanistan’s star spinner Rashid Khan is a fine vice-captaincy choice for the upcoming match. He will play his 100th ODI on Monday, taking 178 wickets in the previous 99 matches. Rashid has snapped six wickets in this tournament and can be a handful for Sri Lanka in spin-friendly conditions at Pune.
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