Sri Lanka announce 16-member squad for Afghanistan T20Is
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan, starting on Saturday, February 17.
The Afghans are in the middle of their tour of Sri Lanka and have already lost the Test and ODI series. They currently trail the Lankans 0-2 in the three-match ODI series, with the final game on February 14.
Leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga will lead the side on his second assignment as Sri Lankan T20I skipper following a 2-1 series win against Zimbabwe at home last month.
Charith Asalanka will be his deputy, with the roster boasting all the prominent names, including former captain Dasun Shanaka and veteran Angelo Matthews.
While both Dushmantha Chameera and Binura Fernando are in the squad, the board clarified that the former will not play in the series and the latter is his replacement. It is the lone change in the roster from last month's Zimbabwe T20Is. Fernando last played for Sri Lanka in T20Is in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
The squad boasts a good balance in the pace and spin departments, with Dilshan Madushanka spearheading the former and the trio of Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Akila Dananjaya sharing the load in the latter.
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have played each other six times in T20Is, with the Lankans leading 4-2. However, the Afghans won the previous T20I meeting between the sides by eight runs in the quarter-final of the 2023 Asian Games.
What has happened so far in Afghanistan's tour of Sri Lanka?
It has been one-way traffic in favor of the hosts so far in Afghanistan's tour of Sri Lanka.
The sides played their first-ever Test against each other, with the more experienced Lankan outfit emerging victorious by 10 wickets.
Yet, it was not all smooth sailing for Sri Lanka as they nearly suffered a shocking defeat in the opening ODI at Pallekele. After scoring a mammoth 381/3, thanks to a Sri Lankan record 210* off 139 by Pathum Nissanka, they reduced the Afghans to 55/5 in the run chase.
With the result seemingly determined, Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai almost produced a miracle with a record sixth-wicket partnership of 242 from 221 deliveries. Unfortunately, the duo ran out of steam with the target a bridge too far as the spirited Afghanistan effort ended with a 42-run defeat.
However, the second ODI was one-sided after Afghanistan capitulated in their chase of 309 after a solid start to lose by 155 runs to concede the series.