Sports
It’s a mismatch on paper, but Afghanistan’s batters can take the fight to Sri Lanka
The Afghanistan men’s team has played seven Tests in their history; for Sri Lanka, this is the first of eight (perhaps nine) scheduled for 2024. This is, on the surface, a mismatch.
Rashid Khan is not with Afghanistan to provide his menacing legbreaks and general inspiration – he is still recovering from back surgery, and has not played competitive cricket since November. Their most experienced spinner in a nation where spin frequently decides matches is left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan who has an average of 44.90 from his four Tests. And having arrived in Sri Lanka only on Tuesday night, they have given themselves less than three days to acclimatise. This, increasingly, is the amount of respect Tests are given in some parts of the world.
Where Afghanistan will feel they can meet Sri Lanka on more equal terms, however, is with the bat. In the shorter formats, Ibrahim Zadran has had success against Sri Lanka, as has Rahamat Shah, while captain Hashmatullah Shabidi averages 53.57 in Test cricket. In the ODIs Afghanistan have played in Sri Lanka, it is their batting that has most impressed. They will take no little confidence in their recent dominance over Sri Lanka’s bowling in that format.
Sri Lanka are at the beginning of a fresh chapter – Dhananjaya de Silva is getting his first Test at the helm. So far, he has not promised anything radical. A greater emphasis on fielding, perhaps, but no wholesale overhauling of strategy or personnel. He has been a dynamic presence in the Sri Lanka Test side, having lately grown into a decent lower-middle-order batter, who contributes substantially with ball and in the field as well. How he marshals an attack without any out-and-out match winners and how frequently he bowls himself will make for fascinating viewing.
Dimuth Karunarathne had asked to step down from the captaincy after the last World Test Championship cycle. The selectors had asked him to hang on for one more year, but have now finally let him go. Karunaratne is the only Sri Lanka player to have made the ICC’s Test teams of the year since 2017 – he has been there three times, including in 2023 – and, since the start of 2021, has averaged 56.18, outstanding for an opener. If there are good batting days at SSC, which is his home ground in domestic cricket, expect him to cash in.
Ibrahim Zadran‘s ODI scores against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka are: 22, 54, 98, 162, 10, 106. It is around him that the top order has tended to rally on the island, and from him they have taken cues on how to play spin. He has not been quite so consistent in Tests, with three fifties in the ten innings he has played so far. But with the SSC surface expected to be decent for batting over the first three days (and particularly after the first morning), Ibrahim is best placed from his side to make a substantial score.
Sri Lanka have a settled batting order but may toy with the idea of playing a third seamer if they feel Afghanistan are susceptible to good seam bowling.
Shahidi spoke on the eve of the match about testing Sri Lanka’s batters with pace, which could mean that Mohammad Saleem is in for a Test debut. Zahir will likely be among the frontline spinners, with left-arm fingerspinner Zia-ur Rehman another possible option, especially as Zia can add value with the bat.
Sri Lanka (probable): Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis/Kasun Rajitha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando
Afghanistan (probable): Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Nasir Jamal, Bahir Shah, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Zia-ur-Rehman, Yamin Ahmadzai, Mohammad Saleem, Zahir Khan
(Cricinfo)
February is usually a wonderful time in Delhi, when winter starts giving way to spring, but people are already complaining of a missed spring with temperatures hitting the late 20s as early as the second week of February. Even amid the climate change of the last decade or so, there has been one pattern: a late hailstorm typically brings back another week of chilly weather. An Indian Winter, if you will, Delhi’s response to Indian Summer, which is the term the English give to a late spell of hot weather when it should be autumn.
The fans, who will sell out the Feroz Shah Kotla even with schools turning down offers for free tickets for students to non-India matches because of looming board exams, will hope for a similar storm of sixes after a dry run in India’s tournament-opener. The anticipation for 300 in the Indian media has come in for some mockery, with the pitches not turning out as flat as they are in bilaterals, but at a venue with small boundaries that has turned high-scoring in recent IPL seasons, India will hope to get back to big-scoring ways after navigating a banana peel against USA on a gripping Wankhede surface.
Against them are Namibia who managed just 156 in Delhi against Netherlands and lost quite comfortably. They might still sense a chance as India struggle with fitness and health issues around Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharama and Washington Sundar, and will themselves be gunning to go big with the bat in a World Cup. What an opportunity for Namibia to make a name for themselves by stretching the strongest-ever contenders for a T20 World Cup.
When India were struggling against USA in the unfamiliar conditions laid out by Mumbai, it was Suryakumar Yadav’s blinder that gave them a match-winning score. That wretched year of 2025, during which he didn’t score a single fifty, seems well and truly behind him now. Suryakumar now has more match awards for India than anyone, having gone past Virat Kohli’s 16.
Namibia, another Associate side that like to open the bowling with a spinner, will hope Bernard Scholtz can repeat what he did against Netherlands. In defence of a paltry 156, the left-arm spinner took out opener Max O’Dowd and conceded just 27 in his four overs.
Washington has joined the Indian squad, but they have other health troubles in the side. Bumrah missed their first match with illness, and while he seems to have recovered and bowled full-tilt at the nets on Tueday, Abhishek has been struggling with a stomach issue. He reportedly played in Mumbai with fever, and it turned worse by the time the team reached Delhi, where he was hospitalised. Tilak Varma said on Wednesday that he has been discharged, but India will take a call on his availability on the day of the match. India might want to take their time with the big names, and in the process give some game time to the reserves.
India (probable): Abhishek Sharma/Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah/ Mohammed Siraj, Varun Chakravarthy.
Seventeen-year-old fast bowler Max Heingo bowled only two overs and went for 22 against Netherlands. Namibia could replace him with the more experienced Ben Shikongo.
Namibia (possible): Louren Steenkamp, Jan Frylinck, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (capt), JJ Smit, Zane Green (wk), Dylan Leicher, Willem Myburgh, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo.
[Cricinfo]
Nepal enter the contest against Italy, a team they have never faced before, on the back of falling short by just one big blow against England on Sunday. Nepal will look to bring that same brand of cricket in Mumbai again and will believe they hold the edge and momentum against their fellow Associates, who are playing their first big tournament.
Emerging from the shadows of the globetrotting legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane are batters Dipendra Singh Airee and Lokesh Bam, who all but took their side over the line in front of loud and energetic fans. But with the ball, Nepal conceded 33 runs in the last two overs of the first innings in that game, and that turned out to be the difference.
However, two points – and a possible big margin of victory – against Italy will open Nepal’s group up before they face West Indies; Nepal had betaen West Indies 2-1 last September.
Italy, meanwhile, had a tough initiation at the T20 World Cup with a 73-run defeat against Scotland. They also lost their captain Wayne Madsen to injury inside four overs of their T20 World Cup debut. He will not feature against Nepal either.
Italy coach John Davison said after the loss that the “occasion may have got big on us”. With nothing to lose and experience to gain, Italy have another chance to have fun and potentially upset some calculations, before facing stronger oppositions England and West Indies.
Batting at No. 5, Ben Maneti was one of the positives for Italy in their loss to Scotland. He started with only seven runs off seven balls, but went on to smash 52 in 31. The majority of his runs came against spinners (45 runs in 25 balls) with shots all around: behind square, through cover, and over the bowler’s head. Italy will hope Ben Manenti carries that confidence against Lamichhane and co.
Lokesh Bam threw everything he had at England when they needed 54 in 21 balls, but fell agonisingly short. Facing quality and experienced bowlers, he smacked back-to-back fours off Sam Curran and successive sixes off Jofra Archer as England searched for answers. Bam’s 39 not out was not enough on the day, but he gave solid proof of his big-hitting ability, something the format demands.
Madsen has been ruled out against Nepal, and in his absence, Harry Manenti, the younger of the two brothers, will be leading Italy. Middle-order batter Marcus Campopiano could replace Madsen in the side.
Italy (probable): Anthony Mosca, Justin Mosca, JJ Smuts, Marcus Campopiano, Harry Manenti (capt), Ben Manenti, Grant Stewart, Gian-Piero Meade (wk), Thomas Draca, Crishan Kalugamage, Ali Hasan
Nepal might look to play the same team that ran England close at the same ground on Sunday.
Nepal (probable): Aasif Sheikh (wk), Kushal Bhurtel, Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Airee, Aarif Sheikh, Lokesh Bam, Gulsan Jha, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Nandan Yadav, Sher Malla
[Cricinfo]
On most days Sri Lanka would enter Thursday’s clash in Kandy against Oman as heavy favourites. They’ve beaten Oman in their solitary meeting – an ODI in 2023 – and are generally formidable in home conditions. But the psychological and tactical knock-on effects of Wanidu Hasaranga being ruled out of the tournament provide an intriguing backdrop.
The star legspinner is a renowned bully of Associates and those lower down the T20 rungs, as highlighted by his match-turning 3 for 25 against Ireland, whose batters found him too much to handle even on one leg. His absence therefore leaves a massive hole in Sri Lanka’s middle-overs containment plan – one Oman will no doubt be looking to exploit – while his power-hitting will also be missed.
His replacement, legspinning allrounder Dushan Hemantha, is like-for-like cover on paper, but the only area in which Hemantha has regularly excelled in in his handful of international white-ball outings has been in the field. The pressure will squarely shift to Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage to spearhead the spin attack, with neither being as proficient a wicket-taker as Hasaranga.
Sri Lanka’s bowling had been their trump card coming into this tournament, but Hasaranga’s injury following that of Eshan Malinga’s days prior to the tournament have exposed yet another chink in their armour.
Sri Lanka’s batting concerns have also been exacerbated by Hasaranga’s absence. The middle order has struggled for consistency, particularly against spin – a challenge they’re likely to face in abundance against a spin-centric Omani attack – and now one of their better spin hitters is out.
Runs up the order from Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis have been crucial to Sri Lanka’s recent successes, while a revelatory knock from Kamindu Mendis against Ireland has offered hope lower down. But you sense the key to an unlikely upset will be whether Oman can access Sri Lanka’s soft middle cheaply – do that and it’s anybody’s game.
For Oman, this is a quintessential do-or-die fixture. Currently at the bottom of Group B after a loss to Zimbabwe, they must secure a victory to keep their Super Eight hopes alive. They can draw confidence from their warm-up victory over a Sri Lanka A side earlier this month, where Aamir Kaleem’s blistering 80 and Vinayak Shukla’s finishing proved they can compete with the islanders’ second string. They will also need to find a way to contend with the express pair of Dushmantha Chameera and Matheesha Pathirana, having lost nine wickets to Zimbabwe’s seamers in their opener.
Kamindu Mendis wasn’t even supposed to be here. But Sri Lanka are grateful that he is. Picked, dropped, and picked again, Kamindu has never been sure of a place in Sri Lanka’s XI, but a Player-of-the-Match 44 off 19 against Ireland has removed the doubts. Sri Lanka had been crying out for his ability to bat anywhere in the middle order and provide impetus through the middle overs – particularly against spin.
Sri Lanka’s batters struggled to get away Ireland’s modest spin offering at the Khettarama. The pitch in Pallekele might not be as helpful, but recent history has shown that spinners will still play a role. As such, Sri Lanka will need to be particularly wary of Shakeel Ahmed‘s accuracy. He picked up 2 for 24 against the Sri Lanka A side, and if the Pallekele pitch offers any turn, he is the most likely candidate to exploit the co-hosts’ historical struggles against disciplined left-arm spin.
Hasaranga’s injury will test Sri Lanka’s resolve in whether they stick to a 6-5 combination. Hemantha could slot in for Hasaranga, or Sri Lanka might opt for an extra batter.
Sri Lanka (probable): Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Dunith Wellalage, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana.
Oman have no injury concerns and are likely to name an unchanged XI.
Oman (probable): Jatinder Singh (capt), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmed.
[Cricinfo]
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