Since the Indian Premier League has come to an end, now the new season of international cricket will begin and all the players will shift their focus towards the upcoming ODI World Cup. Afghanistan will be touring Sri Lanka for a three-match ODI series and the first ODI will be taking place on 2nd June at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.
Sri Lankan cricket have been struggling at the international platform for a long time but they will be hoping to bounce back before the ODI World Cup comes closer. The top bookmakers in India have decent odds with them for this series.Β
Afghanistan have come out as a pool of talented players when it comes to the limited-over format of cricket. They will be eying to give tough competition to Sri Lanka in the ODI series.
Sri Lanka are coming home after playing a two-match Test series against Ireland to host Afghanistan from 2nd June. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis will be opening the game for the team with Kusal Parera coming at number three. However, their most valuable batter will be skipper Dasun Shanaka. Lahiru Kumara and Wanindu Hasaranga will be key bowlers for Sri Lanka. However, Wanindu Hasaranga is struggling for some time but will be hoping to bounce back in the upcoming ODI series.
Dasun Shanaka will be leading the team against Afghanistan in all the three games.
Predicted Lineup: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha
Afghanistan will be high on confidence while facing Sri Lanka. They played a three-match T20 series against Pakistan in the month of March but now the time has come for them to prepare the squad for the ODI World Cup. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, skipper Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be the key players for Afghanistan. Fazalhaq Farooqi is also expected to be part of the team as he bowled exceptionally well against Pakistan.
Rashid Khan will be the leading man for Afghanistan against Sri Lanka.
Predicted Lineup: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq
Both teams are evenly matched with a huge talent pool. However, Sri Lanka have a slight edge because of playing at home. We predict a win for Sri Lanka in the first ODI. However, donβt write Afghanistan off.