On Tuesday, September 5, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are scheduled to face off at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium in match number six of the 2023 Asia Cup. In this format of the tournament, a significant loss could result in elimination, placing immense pressure on Afghanistan to secure a victory and stay in contention for Super Four qualification.
Under the leadership of Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka got off to a strong start in their first game, securing a stylish victory over Bangladesh, despite missing some key players from their lineup. To stay competitive in the competition, Afghanistan faces a challenging task. If Sri Lanka sets a target of over 300 runs, Afghanistan must chase it down, and if they manage to score 300 themselves, they need to win by a substantial margin of at least 237 runs to keep their hopes alive.
Squads
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Kusal Perera, Binura Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Dushan Hemantha
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Riaz Hassan, Ikram Alikhil, Abdul Rahman, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Suliman Safi.
