Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will be looking forward to winning this match. Sri Lanka has to win it, but Afghanis will not let it go quickly. The situation in the group is pretty dire if we talk about the selection. It is not as simple as in Group A. India and Pakistan were the obvious ones to move forward. However, let’s try to predict who will win here.
Read: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Asia Cup Live Streaming
The situation in Group B
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have played one match each. Bangladesh is the only one that has played all of its matches in the group stages. Now, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will decide whether Sri Lanka will move forward or Afghanistan will play the super-4 stage.
Check: Asia Cup 2023 Points Table
Sri Lanka only has to win this match or make sure they do not lose to Afghanistan by a significant margin. What does Afghanistan have to do?
Afghanistan has to beat the Lankans by 68 runs, or they have to chase the target in 35 overs. Only then can they beat Sri Lanka.
Pitch conditions
The pitch conditions are suitable for batting. It is a batter’s paradise. The ball doesn’t have that much movement, making it harder for the pacers to do anything. The spinners also have it pretty rough. Let’s move to what should be the strategy for this game.
Read: Asia Cup 2023: Rain causes issues for PCB
Strategy
Win the toss and bat first. Although your bowlers will have a problem with the dew, you cannot take the risk of chasing on this pitch. Consider the previous match here. 334 runs were scored. Hence, any team that wins the toss needs to implement this strategy. The batsmen in the Sri Lanka team will have a field trip on this pitch.
Check: Asia Cup Venues 2023- Hybrid Model [Today Announced]
Prediction
Afghanistan relies heavily on its bowlers. This means that Sri Lanka has a good chance of winning this match. Even if they lose, they only have to fight hard and ensure they do not give Afghanistan that advantage. Sri Lanka is on a smooth sailing ship here.