ICC World Cup 2019 | Afghanistan’s predicted XI for Sri Lanka outing
Afghanistan will back themselves to bounce back from an opening game loss to Australia as they gear up to face Dimuth Karunaratane-led Sri Lanka in their second match of the World Cup. Gulbadin Naib & Co. will take on Sri Lanka at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Tuesday in the seventh match of the WC.
Openers
Mohammad Shahzad(wk): Shahzad was dismissed for a duck in the opening match against defending champions Australia and will be keen to bounce back with a strong performance against Sri Lanka. Shahzad’s healthy average of 34.02 will give Afghanistan fans some hope that their star performer will come through against the Islanders.
Hazratullah Zazai: Just like Shahzad, Zazai was also dismissed early on in the loss against Australia before he could open his account in this year’s World Cup. Big things are expected of the 21-year old Afghanistan batsman who has just played nine ODI’s for the national team.
Middle-order
Rahmat Shah: Shah played a brilliant innings against Australia as he scored 41 under extreme pressure from the likes of Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. Shah will also give skipper Gulbadin Naib an option in the middle overs as he is handy with the ball too.
Hashmatullah Shahidi: 24-year old Shahidi is relatively new to the Afghanistan cricket setup and is yet to prove himself with the national team. Shahidi averages 34 from 33 ODI matches scoring at an SR 65.34 and will hope to make the most if given an opportunity against Sri Lanka.
Najibullah Zadran: Probably the best performer against Australia, Zadran bagged a half-century in tricky conditions against Aaron Finch & Co. and will hope to build on that performance against a hurting Sri Lanka outfit on Tuesday.
All-rounders
Mohammad Nabi: The 34-year old cricketer has played in almost every One-dayer for Afghanistan on the big stage and will be one of their key players in the World Cup. Nabi has an SR 86.9 and will play an essential role in the middle order and towards the end of the innings as well.
Gulbadin Naib (c): Naib was recently appointed as the skipper of the Afghanistan national team and will look to bounce back from the loss against Sri Lanka on opening day. His SR of 124.35 will certainly give him confidence heading into the tournament.
Rashid Khan: Khan is undoubtedly the key player for the Afghanistan national team at the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019. Khan has a tally of 126 ODI wickets from 56 matches and is also handy with the bat in the lower order.
Spinner
Mujeeb Ur Rahman: It’s hard to believe that Mujeeb Ur Rahman is still 18-year-old having already played 31 ODI matches for Afghanistan. Rahman’s economy rate of 3.86 makes him one of the most economical bowlers in the shorter format and will automatically make him a key performer in the match against Sri Lanka.
Pacer
Dawlat Zadran: Zadran was ruled out of Afghanistan's historic inaugural Test match against India but made a return to the national squad in time for the World cup. A tally of 107 wickets from 77 ODIs will make him a prime candidate for picking wickets against Sri Lanka.
Hamid Hassan: Hassan, a 32-year old pacer, has played 35 matches for Afghanistan in the ODI format having picked up 61 wickets. Hassan had a good match against Australia in which he gave just 15 wickets from six overs on the weekend.
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