SL vs AFG 2nd ODI Match Prediction

SL vs AFG Team Previews

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's bowling struggled against some disciplined Afghan batting in the first match. On a flat pitch, with nothing much in it for the bowlers, the Sri Lankans looked ineffective. None of the fast bowlers have enough zip to trouble the batters with pace or the discipline to test their patience. 

The onus of making the inroads fell to the spinners and while Hasaranga bowled well in patches, Theekshana was disappointing. This lack of wicket-taking potential is not going to disappear overnight. 

The batting lineup for Sri Lanka is strong on paper but as we saw in the previous match, it is not very dependable. Pathum Nissanka played a brilliant inning of 83 and Wanindu Hasaranga scored 66 down the order even as the rest of the batters crumbled. 

Kusal Mendia and Dhananjaya de Silva have both been in good form recently and could be players to watch out for. Sri Lanka's batting is stronger than it appears but it is comparable to what the Afghans have as well. We cannot see the reason for Sri Lanka being priced so low when the teams are so closely matched. 

Afghanistan

Afghanistan has added some brilliant youngsters to its lineup and that seems to have made a world of difference. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran are genuinely talented batters that give Afghanistan some flair and stability at the top of the order. Rahmat Shah excels in the 50-over format and there is a lot of experience in the middle order as well. 

Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Gulbadin Naib are all capable of contributing with the bat. 

The team can be a bit susceptible to the loss of early wickets but there is no doubt that the batting lineup has more quality than perhaps ever before. 

Another area where Afghanistan has become very good is its bowling unit. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Yamin Ahmadzai picked up six of the wickets to fall in the first match. They managed to extract something out of a dead and docile pitch even when the Sri Lankan pacers failed to do so. 

Gulbadin Naib also bowled intelligently to end up with three wickets. The fact that Afghanistan has quality pacers alongside its three brilliant spinners is why it is so tough to beat. The team with the better bowling attack is more likely to win cricket matches, especially as the duration of the matches becomes longer.