Afghanistan opt to bowl against Sri Lanka in first T20 match

Afghanistan’s skipper Ibrahim Zadranwon the toss and chose to bowl against Wanindu Hasaranga-led Sri Lanka in the first match of the T20 series played at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla on Saturday (Feb.17).

The Lions have already got the better of the tourists in a one-off Test and a three-match ODI series. The hosts have won every game they have played against the visiting Afghanistan side in the ongoing bilateral tour.

Sri Lanka last defeated Zimbabwe in a T20I series 2-1. In the deciding game of that series, Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga delivered a phenomenal performance taking four wickets. His performance helped curb Zimbabwe to a mere total of just 82. Pathum Nissanka then scored 39 runs to seal a nine-wicket victory for Sri Lanka. The hosts will now be looking to clean-sweep Afghanistan by also picking up the T20I series.

The Afghans have not had a good show since their World Cup campaign in India. They recently lost a three-match T20I series against the Men in Blue on Indian soil. The match proved to be an epic game of cricket as it required two Super Overs to decide the winner.

Sri Lanka (Playing XI) - Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (WK), Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga (C), Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana

Afghanistan (Playing XI) - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran (C), Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Qais Ahmad, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq

--Agencies