Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup: After five group-stage matches in the Asia Cup tournament, we head into the final pool game with much to play for. Afghanistan and Sri Lanka face each other in Group B and still, we have a spot open for the next round of the tournament - The Super Four stage. India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are through to the last four stage and the AFG vs SL game will decide the last entry.
Even though Dasun Shanaka's side is on top of Group A with a better net run rate but they can slip to the final spot - the third position if they lose big to Afghanistan. After their big win over the Afghans, Bangladesh have secured a place in the Super Four. The final group stage match of the tournament will be played in Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium. Before the action unfolds, here is all you need to know about the venue of the game.
Gaddafi Stadium Pitch Report
The pitch at the Gaddafi Stadium offers enough help for the batters. Totals of 300 have been breached 15 times and average scores at the venue are 252. The last game held at the venue was between Bangladesh and Afghanistan and the former made 334/5. Also, batting first or second is not a big issue in Lahore as teams batting first have 35 wins, compared to 33 for teams chasing the targets.
Gaddafi Stadium- The numbers game in ODIs
ODI Stats:
Total matches - 70
Matches won batting first - 35
Matches won bowling first - 33
Average 1st Inns scores - 252
Average 2nd Inns scores - 216
The highest total recorded - 375/3
The lowest total recorded - 75/10
The highest score chased - 349/4
The lowest score defended - 170/8
Afghanistan Probable XI:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Gulbadin Naib/Karim Janat, Mohammad Saleem Safi
Sri Lanka Probable XI:
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana
