Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sri Lanka in the opening match of Asia Cup 2022 group stage round on Saturday in Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, but was later shifted to the UAE due to political turmoil and the economic crisis in the cricket-crazy island nation.
Nabi guessed the flick of the coin right and instantly chose to bowl as he said that, “We want to bowl first here. It’s a fresh wicket, there’s cricket after a long time in Dubai. We have plenty of all-rounders."
ASIA CUP 2022 - FULL COVERAGE | SCHEDULE | RESULTS
Afghanistan team is playing its 100 T20I matches as they decided to enter the game with three spinners which include Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nabi himself.
While Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka has admitted that Dushmantha Chameera’s absence forced his team to change some plans for the Asia Cup. Shanaka announced that two young players will make their debut for the group stage opener.
“We would have bowled first as well. Six batters, two all-rounders and three genuine bowlers. We’ve got two new faces - Dilshan Madushanka and Matheesha Pathirana are making their debuts," Shanaka said at the toss.
Meanwhile, premier spinner Rashid said talked about Afghanistan’s journey in international cricket as they played their 100th T20Is on Saturday.
“Amazing journey (Afghanistan’s 100th T20I) so far. It’s a great achievement for us. This is a format we are famous for. We have done so well in the last few years. Happy and hopefully it keeps continuing. There are a few areas we have to work on and there are areas we are struggling for few years," Rashid told broadcasters.
The 23-year-old further said the Asia Cup and upcoming T20 WC is an opportunity for Afghanistan to test their skills against quality teams.
“Our batting department - we can be much better. This Asia Cup and World Cup is a great opportunity for us to get the experience. We learn from our mistakes and we get better. In our fast bowling, we were struggling before. Now we’ve got some good fast bowlers. The more we play, the more we got better," he added.
Playing XIs
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here