Asia Cup 2018: Sri Lanka up against Afghanistan in do or die encounter

Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have faced each other twice in the ODI's with Sri Lanka leading the scoreline 2-0

In Match 3 of Asia Cup 2018, Angelo Mathews’ Sri Lanka will lock horns with Afghanistan led by Ashgar Afghan at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi today. After 137-run drubbing by Bangladesh in tournament opener, today’s match is a must win game for Sri Lanka as they are playing their last group B game while Afghanistan have one more game against Bangladesh. Despite starting their Asia Cup campaign on a losing note, Sri Lanka can take few positives from their previous game. The return of Lasith Malinga in the playing 11 after a gap of one year gives a much-needed boast to their bowling line-up as he took 4 wickets using his trade-mark Yorker, bouncers and slower deliveries. Both teams have faced each other twice in the ODI's with Sri Lanka leading the scoreline 2-0.

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Sri Lanka Team news
 
In the absence of Danuskha Gunathilaka and Dinesh Chandimal, Lankan batting looked fragile. Upul Tharanga showed some positive intent at the top but failed to stick around and threw his wicket playing too many shots. Other Sri Lankan players failed to reach the 20 run mark and it was the contribution from Dilruwan Perera and Suranga Lakmal that helped Lankans reach the three-figure mark. Meanwhile, the Kusal Mendis experiment at the top didn't work out but they might take another chance with the opening combination or they can use Dickwella at the top of the order and play Kusal Mendis at the Number 3 or 4 position. The return of Lasith Malinga is a major boost but spinners have to chip-in with wickets in the middle overs and must restrict the run flow. The major concern for Lankans is their death bowling which looked brittle against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka have lost 30 of 40 matches since the start of 2017 and the trend might continue if they don't bring their A-game against Afghanistan.

 
Afghanistan team news
 
Afghanistan have had a impressive run in 2018 so far, beating Zimbabwe and Ireland, apart from winning the qualifiers to book a berth in the 2019 World Cup. Afghanistan can learn from Asia Cup about how to perform in pressure situations while battling against quality sides. Afghanistan has three frontline spinners Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Sharafuddin Ashraf alongside all-rounder Mohammad Nabi in their squad. The team ranked tenth in ICC ODI rankings will depend on Rashid Khan heavily. He is ranked number 2 in the ICC Bowlers Rankings while 17-year-old Mujeeb managed to create his own identity in the last 12 months. However, it's Afghanistan's batting that has let them down in recent times. Their last three defeats have all come when their batsmen have failed to reach 200. The onus will be on captain Asghar Afghan, Rahmat Shah, Mohammad Shahzad, Samiullah Shenwari to support their bowlers.

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Probable playing eleven for both sides:
 
Afghanistan playing 11 probables: Mohammad Shahzad, Ihsanullah, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Asghar Afghan (c), Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
 
Sri Lanka playing 11 probables: Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews (c), Niroshan Dickwella or Dasun Shanaka, Thisara Perera, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Akila Dananjaya, Lasith Malinga
 
Asia Cup 2018 Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan match details
 
Match Date: 17 September, Saturday
Match Time: 17:00 IST, 11:30 AM GMT, 03:30 PM LOCAL
Match Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

 
Asia Cup 2018 Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan match live streaming details
 
Pool B encounter of Asia Cup 2018, Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, will be broadcasted on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1 HD. It will be available for live streaming on Hotstar app. Tatasky subscribers can also watch the match on Tatasky mobile app.
 
Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan: Weather condition at Sheikh Zayed Stadium
 
Both the teams have to cope with extreme weather condition as the temperature may soar past 40 degree Celsius during the short day period when the match will be played. The night will see temperatures at 37 degree Celsius. In the first match Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim went through cramp during his 144-run stint at the middle.

 
Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Toss prediction
 
Both the captains – Angelo Mathews and Asghar Afghan— will to win the toss and bat first. Since, at Sheikh Zayed Stadium teams batting first won 24 matches while team bowling first won only 14 matches.
 
Here is the squad of both the teams:
 
Sri Lanka Asia Cup Squad: Angelo Mathews(c), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Upul Tharanga, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Dilruwan Perera, Amila Aponso, Kasun Rajitha, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Lasith Malinga, Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya
 
Afghanistan Asia Cup squad: Asghar Afghan(c), Mohammad Shahzad, Ihsanullah Janat, Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Aftab Alam, Samiullah Shenwari, Munir Ahmad, Sayed Shirzad, Sharafuddin Ashraf