16 players will make up Sri Lanka’s team for the ODI series against Afghanistan. The three match ODI series for the Lankan Lions will be captained by Dasun Shanaka.
On November 24, Sri Lanka Cricket made a 16-person team available for the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan. Sri Lanka’s first assignment following the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. It will be a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan at home.
The team announcement was made unusually late because permission from Sri Lanka’s Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs was require. The first ODI is schedule to start play on November 25, Friday. And the final game is schedule for November 30 at the Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium. Which will host all three games.
Sri Lanka has won three times over Afghanistan while the latter has only won once in their four ODI meetings
Bhanuka Rajapaksa, a member of the squad, has request to be drop from the current 16 man team so that he may take a break from the 50 over format. Dasun Shanaka, a superb all rounder, will act as the team’s captain, while Kusal Mendis will be their primary wicketkeeper. There are no significant surprises in the roster that has been made public.
Both Asian teams will try to bounce back from their Super 12 stage exits in the flagship T20 event in Australia. The two teams have had time to recover since then and will now face off on the pitch.
According to their head to head statistics, Sri Lanka has won three times over Afghanistan while the latter has only won once in their four ODI meetings thus far. In their final matchup before the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, which was postpone due to weather, the Lankan Lions prevailed by 34 runs. The Afghanistan squad, who would want to play at their best, may face a different circumstance because the series is a part of the ICC ODI Super League 2023.
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