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- Sri Lanka started their campaign on an abject note against New Zealand in the opening game
- The one-week break would have helped Sri Lanka regain composure, but Afghanistan will be no pushovers
Sri Lanka will be hoping for a strong comeback after losing their opening match. © Getty
Sri Lanka started their campaign on an abject note against New Zealand in the opening game of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. That 98-run loss will be rankling them andAfghanistan will be bracing themselves for the backlash. Sri Lanka will have to win, and convincingly at that, against Afghanistan to regain confidence and assertthemselves as contenders for the World Cup. The one-week break would have helped the team regain composure but Afghanistan will be no pushovers.
Mohammad Nabi, the captain, and coach Andy Moles have emphasised on various occasions that Afghanistan are not there to just compete but to try and win games. Liketheir opponents, Afghanistan too come in to this game on the back of a 105-run loss against Bangladesh. The batsmen came a cropper after a decent bowling effort andAfghanistan will be gunning to prove that they are ready to fight against the big teams.
Venue: University Oval, Dunedin
Date: February 22, 2015
Time: 0330 HRS IST
Weather and pitch conditions:
If the previous game at Dunedin is anything to go by, expect some help for the seamers. New Zealand bowled Scotland out for a low total but lost as many as 7wickets in chase of a lowly 142. The short boundaries will also aid the big hitters. It is expected to be a sunny Sunday and neither team will mind that.
Team news:
Sri Lanka
Nuwan Kulasekara might be replaced by youngster Dushmantha Chameera for Sri Lanka. Kulasekara went for 78 runs in his eight overs in the game against New Zealand butthe rest are likely to retain their place.
Probable XI: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara(w), Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews(c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Jeevan Mendis,Dushmantha Chameera, Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, Lasith Malinga
Afghanistan
Afghanistan might look at tinkering their batting order after an abysmal collapse but are likely to go in with the same eleven that played Bangladesh.
Probable XI: Afsar Zazai(w), Javed Ahmadi, Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Mirwais Ashraf, AftabAlam, Shapoor Zadran, Hamid Hassan
Watch out for:
Seventeen-year old Usman Ghani played confidently in the warm-up game against India. He will like the short boundaries at Dunedin and could be the key for Afghanistanto get off to a good start while batting.
Lasith Malinga will be a tricky bowler to face for newcomers. Tracking the ball will be a challenge for Afghanistan as the Sri Lankan's pacer's slingy action isnothing close to what you'd face in practice. He has blown away many a side once he finds rhythm and Sri Lanka will be hoping that he finds it against Afghanistan.
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