The clinical dismantling of Pakistan or England, which would you call bigger? The former happened in Chennai, on an easy-paced wicket as Afghanistan coasted to victory, going past Pakistan’s total of 282 with an over to spare and 8 wickets in hand. Eight days before that, Afghanistan had pulled off the first upset of this World Cup, comfortably defending 284 against England in Delhi with spin playing a prominent role in their win. And then there was the comprehensive drubbing of England in Bengaluru, on a slow wicket, where Sri Lanka used the cutters and change of pace to good effect to bowl the Jos Buttler-led side out for 156 and took only 25.4 overs, with 8 wickets still remaining, to chase down the target and all but seal the defending champions’ early exit.
Sri Lanka are currently fifth, and Afghanistan seventh, with both having four points after two wins apiece from five matches. The top four have eight or more points at this stage but the gridlock is among the teams below them, and the two Asian teams facing off in Pune on Monday will be eager to get ahead in this battle of one-upmanship and in the process keep themselves in the hunt for a semifinal spot should one or two teams in the top four falter at some stage in their remaining games.
For Afghanistan, after zero victories in the 2019 edition, this has been a huge improvement and they will be hoping their surge continues. And there is also the matter of unfinished business. Just about a couple of months back, they nearly pulled off an incredible chase against Sri Lanka but fell short of qualifying for the Super four stage of the Asia Cup. Not having a clear picture of the NRR permutations halted Afghanistan’s progression in the competition and caused a heartbreak for them despite putting on quite a show with the bat. They have come a long way from that with inspiring performances in this World Cup but so have Sri Lanka who will be keen to extend their run of wins, having started the tournament with a hat-trick of losses.
When: Monday, October 30 at 2:00 PM Local Time
Where: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
What to expect: In the only game played here earlier in this World Cup, India applied the choke on Bangladesh after they got off to a good start, keeping them to 256 and chasing it down in 41.3 overs. The World Cup is the first time in more than two years that the MCA stadium is hosting international 50-over cricket. Big totals were a regular feature in 2021 when India and England played three ODIs here, with the 300 mark being crossed five times in six innings. Although it wasn’t the case in the India-Bangladesh game, batting-friendly pitches are the norm here and the same can be expected for the 30th match of World Cup 2023. A clear weather is forecast for the match duration, with temperatures in the early 30s for the first half of the game.
Team news:
Sri Lanka
Lahiru Kumara, the player of the match in Sri Lanka’s victory against England, has been ruled out of the World Cup with a left thigh muscle injury which he sustained during a practice session in Pune. Sri Lanka have roped in Dushmantha Chameera as his replacement, and the pacer, already with the team as a travelling reserve, is likely to make the eleven.
Probable XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka
Tactics & strategy
The combination of Kasun Rajitha and Dushmantha Chameera might work well for Sri Lanka up front, with the two pacers having had success against the Afghanistan top order. Although he did an excellent job with the ball against England, with figures of 1-21, Maheesh Theekshana has had a relatively quiet World Cup so far in terms of wickets, with only three in four games. The Afghanistan batters have also fared well against Theekshana, which could make it challenging for Sri Lanka in terms of their spin attack for this game.
Afghanistan
The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side enter this game after a break of six days but have spent a good amount of time practising in Pune. The captain, during the press conference, pointed towards the dew factor and skiddy wickets in Pune, which suggest Afghanistan could bring in an extra pacer in the form of Fazalhaq Farooqi. Noor Ahmad, who played a key role in their win against Pakistan, is likely to retain his place while Mujeeb Ur Rahman could make way.
Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad
Tactics & strategy
Mohammad Nabi has a favourable match-up against both Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews, having dismissed them two times each, and also has impressive strike rates and economy against them.
Did you know?
– Pathum Nissanka is one of only three players with 1000-plus runs in ODIs in 2023, with the batter also having registered four successive half-centuries leading into this game. Since 2022, he has scored as many as 736 runs in the first 10 overs.
– The quicks have taken 42 wickets in the four games played in Pune since 2021 compared to only 11 for spin. But both pacers and spinners have been expensive at this venue, with economy rates of 6.3 and 6.51 respectively.
– This will be Rashid Khan’s 100th ODI appearance, making him only the fourth Afghanistan cricketer to reach the milestone.
What they said
“In our good times and in our bad times, we believed in this team. That’s the reason I think we are playing good cricket in the World Cup.” – Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan captain.
“We’re eager to witness him convert those 50 into centuries. But sometimes it takes a while for those things to happen. Everyone knows what kind of player Pathum is, and also knows how much hope we have. We are delighted with his performance, especially in his role as an opening batsman, which is a significant asset for our team.” – Naveed Nawaz, Sri Lanka assistant coach, on Pathum Nissanka.
