Afghanistan against Sri Lanka on November 1 will have huge ramifications for Group 1 of the Super 12 stage and mark Mohammad Nabi’s return to the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan has two points from three games due to rain-outs against Ireland and New Zealand. Their loss against England remains their sole T20 World Cup appearance, and bad weather is anticipated for Tuesday.
Sri Lanka beat Ireland in its Super 2 opener before losing to Australia and New Zealand. The Asia Cup champions have been struck by injuries, notably in the pace department, and the poor form of Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga has weakened their bowling assault.
Afghanistan and Sri Lanka must win to reach the T20 World Cup semi-finals. Will Brisbane’s rain let Afghanistan demonstrate what they can do? Or will Sri Lanka push for the semis?
Afghanistan versus Sri Lanka Today Match Prediction: Who will win?
Afghanistan has not played much in T20 World Cup, but some things are clear. The batting order relies largely on Ibrahim Zadran, even though Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran can win games. Hazratullah Zazai has been a bad opener for Afghanistan, so they may not miss him.
The Gabba’s speed and bounce might hurt both teams. Afghanistan has Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Nabi as spinners, whereas Sri Lanka has Hasaranga, Theekshana, and Dhananjaya de Silva. Fazalhaq Farooqi may help Afghanistan’s pace attack, but spin might be a theme in Brisbane on Tuesday.
Farooqi ran through the Lankan top order in the first match and Gurbaz won Player of the Match in a losing cause in the second. Sri Lanka’s middle order is vulnerable to spin in the middle overs, therefore Rashid might be key. Afghanistan’s batting lacks confidence.
It’s hard to predict a winner in this one. Afghanistan has been sidelined for a while, therefore Sri Lanka may be able to secure two points despite their weaknesses. (LIVE SCORECARD)
