The Asia Cup 2022 is all set to get underway tomorrow amid huge expectations. The tournament will be played in the T20I format to prepare the teams for the upcoming 20-20 World Cup 2022. The last time, the Asia Cup was held in T20I format was way back in the year 2016. India will enter the Asia Cup as the defending champions as they clinched the title for the record seventh time in the year 2018.
In the first match of the Asia Cup 2022, Afghanistan will lock horns with Sri Lanka and the match will be played at Dubai International Stadium. It will be a group B match. Let’s take a look at the match preview of the first encounter between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan:
Team News:
Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka have not been in great form off late and will look to turn things around in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022. The team will be led by Dasun Shanaka and all the burden will be on him to carry the team right from the start. This will be the stepping stone for the 20-20 World Cup to be held in Australia later this year. Dushmantha Chameera has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury and the Sri Lankan pace attack looks inexperienced in his absence.
Players to watch out for:
1) Dasun Shanaka:
The captain will have to lead from the front and it will be up to him to take the team forward. He must contribute with the bat and hold the fort while trying to roll his arms over if needed for the team.
2) Kusal Mendis:
The top-order batter will be crucial for Sri Lanka up front and he will steady the innings if the team find themselves in a labyrinth. The 27-year-old might also get to play anchor innings for the same.
3) Dinesh Chandimal:
Dinesh Chandimal has been fantastic for Sri Lanka of late and will look to carry on with the form to the Asia Cup 2022. Although he will play in a different format, the experience will be handy for the island nation.
Predicted Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Dhanushaka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Asitha Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay.
Afghanistan:
Afghanistan have become confident over the years albeit they have failed most of the time at major tournaments. The team have all the potential to give a tough fight as they did against Ireland in the T20Is. Najibullah Zadran is the top scorer for the nation followed by Hazratullah Zazai. The duo will have to fire and take the team as far as they can in the tournament.
Players to watch out for:
1) Najibullah Zadran:
Najibullah Zadran’s contribution will be crucial for the Afghanistan team going forward. He has had a fantastic T20I career so far and has amassed 255 runs in 9 T20I innings.
2) Hazratullah Zazai:
The batter has amassed a total of 205 runs for the team in 8 eight T20I innings and he will have to contribute to ensuring his team’s success in the Asian tournament.
3) Rashid Khan:
Rashid Khan is the recent sensation for Afghanistan and he has to produce some stellar spells to make things tough for the opponents. Strong nations like India and Pakistan still fear facing the bowler and he can use this to produce his magic.
Predicted Playing XI: Najibullah Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad, Karim Janat
Pitch Report:
Dubai International Stadium favours bowling and it is a bowler-friendly pitch. The surface is best suited for pacers and the average first innings total at this ground is 128. Teams winning the toss must choose to bowl first and hunt the total down to clinch the win.
Match Details:
Asia Cup 2022, Match 1, Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan
Date: 27th August 2022
Timing: 7:30 pm IST
Venue: Dubai International Stadium
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network
Live Telecast: Disney Hotstar
