There’s a saying; Expect the unexpected, and this World Cup has been packed with the unexpected scenarios so far. From the least expected exit of West Indies from this mega event to Afghanistan and Netherlands pulling off blunders against the giant teams like England, Pakistan and South Africa.
Until this weekend, we were all thirsty for the much needed fire and finally we got to witness two thrilling games in less than two days in the form of Jimmy Neesham putting up a show against Australia but still falling short by the bare margin of 5 runs and Keshav Maharaj’sgritty knock against the Pakistan team. Now, we’re ready for another thriller which is going to be the contest between the underdogs of this tournament, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
How have Sri Lanka and Afghanistan levelled up their game?
While there was no doubt about the bowling of Afghans, the only flaw was there inability to put up consistent performances with the bat. But now with Hashmatullah Shahidi leading from the front, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz putting up blistering performances at the top, they have managed to seal convincing victories over the teams like, Pakistan and England.
With a couple of wins from the first five games, Afghanistan are having a great time in the tournament and might even make it to the knockout stage if they continue to play this brand of cricket.
With Rashid Khan being their best bowler so far with six wickets among the likes of Nabi, Mujeeb and Noor. Even the batters have stepped up in the last few games, they are looking strong enough to put up a fight against the Lankans.
On the other hand, with the injury of DasunShanaka, Angelo Mathews has replaced the former and have shown in the previous game, what he can bring to the table as he picked up crucial wickets of Dawid Malan and Moeen Ali, helping his team win the game against the defending champions.
With in form batters like the dangerous Kusal Mendis and the rising Pathum Nissanka at the top, Sri Lanka are anything but a light weight object.
That’s not all; having the likes of their most successful batter in the ongoing tournament in the form of Samarawickrama, the legend Angelo Matthews and Asalanka in the middle order, the island nation can score runs with higher strike rates.
When it comes to the bowling department, the southpaw, Dilshan Madushanka has been leading the attack with eleven wickets in just five games. That’ll certainly make Afghanistan think.
However, the added return of Matthews, 122 wickets from 222 ODI’s, certainly makes the bowling department has become more stronger than before.
Therefore, Sri Lanka v Afghanistan is expected to be an encounter that could well be among the best games of the 2023 World Cup.
Moreover, perhaps it’s fitting in a sense to recollect that both teams are in the same situation of sorts having two wins in the first five games of the tournament.
The winner of Sri Lanka v Afghanistan contest shall move to the fifth spot.
While, they still have to do a lot to make it to the knockout stage, should they be able to retain their current positions, they will be able to play the Champions Trophy 2025.
