Sri Lanka is expected to win this match. The conditions have been more towards the home side especially from the last game after most of their first team players returning to the XI.
League
Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka
Match
Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, 3rd ODI
Date
7th June 2023
Time
10:00 AM IST
Kusal Mendis scored his first half century in seven ODI innings this year.
The surface got better for the batters in the 2nd ODI as team batting first managed to post 320+.
There might be some movement for the new ball in the second innings.
Pick more batters from the team batting first.
Ibrahim Zadran now has 430 runs against Sri Lanka in five innings, including 2 50s and two centuries.
Rashid Khan was supposed to be available for the third ODI.
Fareed is Afghanistan’s best wicket taker in the business end of the innings.
Fazalhaq Farooqi will continue to be a threat being a left arm seamer for Sri Lanka, especially if they bat second.
Rashid Khan will be back in action most probably. Avoid picking middle order batters of Sri Lanka in one of your XI.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Dhananjaya de Silva took 3 wickets each in the 2nd ODI.
Afghanistan middle order need to step up in this match if opportunity arrives.
The surface at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota as said earlier got better for batting in the last game. It is a well balanced track with batters being able to score runs once settled. There is obviously some help for the spinners, while seamers will not get much but just a bit of uneven bounce off it. The first innings score is expected to be around 280. The team winning the toss should bat first.
The conditions are expected to remain cloudy throughout the day in Hambantota. There is no rain predicted during the match time.
Rashid Khan is expected to be available in this match.
Sri Lanka Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kasun Rajitha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera
Afghanistan Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rashid Khan, Fareed Malik.
Pathum Nissanka: Pathum Nissanka continues to be one of top picks in the series. He has not played a big innings so far but has started really well. Just a matter of time he will convert one of those starts into a big score. The conditions has been suitable for the Sri Lankan opener as well.
Ibrahim Zadran: Ibrahim Zadran is hardly stopping anytime soon. The star opener scored another half century in the last game and is currently the highest run scorer in the series after two games. After making a match winning 98 in the first ODI, the 21-year-old scored 54 in the second ODI. He will be a brilliant captaincy pick for this match.
Dhananjaya de Silva: Dhananjaya de Silva will be another great captaincy choice ahead of this match. His all-round abilities makes him a safe pick in these conditions. He has scored runs and taken wickets in the first two games. He scored a half century in the first ODI and remained unbeaten in the second one. In addition, he took three wickets with the ball in the 2nd ODI.
Kasun Rajitha: Kasun Rajitha will be a great differential pick for this match. He went wicketless in the last game and as a result the ace pacer has been picked by only 20% of the teams as of writing this. His wicket taking abilities in all phases of the game makes him different from the crowd.
Najibullah Zadran: The left hander has one big innings due in the series. You expect a player like him to perform and win games for his side. This will be perfect stage for him to make a difference to win the series finale.
Azmatullah Omarzai: The Afghanistan all-rounder couldn’t make much of an impact in the first two ODIs. He bats way down the order and has not really done much with the new ball. It is advisable to avoid picking him in the XI for this game.
If SL bat first
Complete team with three of Rajitha, Shahidi, Karunaratne, Nabi
If AFG bat first
Complete team with three of Gurbaz, Samarwickrama, Farooqi, Chameera
If SL bat first
Complete team with three of Farooqi, Rahmat, Samarwickrama, Shanaka
If AFG bat first
Complete team with three of Kusal, Rashid, Najibullah, Chameera
Sri Lanka is expected to win this match. The conditions have been more towards the home side especially from the last game after most of their first team players returning to the XI.
