ASIA CUP, 2025
Afghanistan are now in must-win territory after the setback against Bangladesh © Cricbuzz
Given how their campaign turned out in the T20 World Cup last year, Afghanistan were certainly one of the favourites to progress to the Super Four. However, heading into their final group game, they are now in must-win territory after the setback against Bangladesh. Their batting lineup has come under the scanner now in the tournament even though the sample size is just two games.
Sediqullah Atal and Azmatullah Omarzai were the only big contributors in their big win over Hong Kong. The rest didn’t fire against Bangladesh as well and with Atal getting dismissed for a golden duck, the task only got tougher. Omarzai sizzled, though, striking some monstrous sixes but Afghanistan clearly need more players to stand up in that middle order. And this needs to happen against a side that’s been largely impressive in the tournament so far.
Sri Lanka have largely kept the runs down and with the bat, they have looked good except for that wobble towards the end of the chase against Hong Kong. While in an ideal world they wouldn’t have wanted their qualification to depend on this result, a three-way tie on points will be in store if they slip up. In such a scenario, Afghanistan will certainly go through and Sri Lanka’s progress will depend on the margin of the loss. For example, if Sri Lanka chase 160, they will need to score at least 93 to stay ahead of Bangladesh’s NRR. If they defend 160, they will have to ensure Afghanistan take at least 11.3 overs to chase the target down. Ideally, they would back themselves to tick any of these boxes as a bare minimum.
When: Thursday, September 18 at 6:30 PM local time (8 PM IST)
Where: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
What to expect: Teams batting first have won three out of the five games so far. And in general, Afghanistan do prefer batting first and setting a target. In the only game Sri Lanka have played here this campaign, they chased down 140 against Bangladesh inside 15 overs.
Teams Watch
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka did leave out Matheesha Pathirana after his poor outing against Bangladesh and they will likely stick with that combination given how miserly Maheesh Theekshana was.
Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka(c), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara
Tactics & Matchups: Over the last year, Sri Lanka have fared much better than Afghanistan in the powerplay. Given how matches have been won and lost in that phase this tournament, Sri Lanka will be trying to get the upper hand with both bat and especially with the ball given Afghanistan’s recent opening woes ever since they moved Ibrahim Zadran down to No.3.
Afghanistan
Despite the tight loss to Bangladesh, Afghanistan will be tempted to stick with the same combination for this crucial clash.
Probable XI: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Tactics & Matchups: Azmatullah Omarzai, the reigning ODI player of the year, has been their best player in both games. Initially struggling to make an impact in T20Is, Omarzai is striking the ball at over 172 in 2025 in the format and has already broken the record for the fastest fifty by an Afghanistan batter earlier in the tournament. The 2024 T20 WC semi finalists might contemplate giving him a promotion.
Did you know?
– Across their T20I history, Afghanistan have not successfully chased down a 140+ target against a full member team other than Zimbabwe.
– Since Jan 2024, only India and Australia have fared better than Afghanistan in terms of win percentage when batting first while in run chases, Afghanistan are the worst side (among full members).
What they said:
“We are very optimistic (against Sri Lanka). We have played two games here and if we win on Thursday, we go on top of the group. There’s plenty to play for. There is disappointment but we have to dust ourselves off. There are ups and downs. You have to make sure you have to ride those waves. We have to bounce back on Thursday. If we can win well, it gives us a lot of confidence. There’s plenty to play for. We should have played better, but we have to pull our socks up for Thursday” – Jonathan Trott, Afghanistan head coach.
© Cricbuzz
