Sri Lanka Face Afghanistan in World Cup Survival Match
Resilience Will Be Key for Islanders Without Top Pacer Kumara
Bolstered by two straight victories, a resilient Sri Lanka will need to overcome the injury-caused absence of top pacer Lahiru Kumara when they take on an invigorated Afghanistan in a World Cup survival match here on Monday.
It was during a training session that Kumara sustained a muscular injury to his left thigh, ruling him out of the World Cup on Sunday.
His replacement is Dushmantha Chameera, a pacer. Yet there has been evidence of a tendency among Lankans to overcome obstacles.
With two victories in five games, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have maintained their remote chances of reaching the semifinals, assuming they don't experience any more setbacks and other outcomes in the championship match go their way.
Following three straight losses, Sri Lanka has regained some optimism after defeating the Netherlands and England with strong wins. However, they risk everything by treating Afghanistan carelessly.
With victories over Pakistan and England, Afghanistan has shocked the world and will now try to take the wind out of Sri Lanka's sails to continue their winning streak.
The Islanders' bowling unit has excelled in the middle overs thanks to the return of seasoned all-rounder Angelo Matthews. In the past, Sri Lanka has been guilty of giving up too many runs during that stage.
After taking 11 and 7 wickets in the event thus far, Dilshan Madushanka and Kusan Rajitha will need to deliver. But Maheesh Theekshana's spin hasn't exactly lit anything on fire.
Pathum Nissanka and Sadeera Samarawickrama have shown promise in batting.
two of their best batsmen in ODIs this season.
In their most recent match, Nissanka—who scored his fourth straight fifty of the tournament—and Samarawickrama—who scored his second—completely defeated the Lankans.
On the other side, Afghanistan enters the game having just achieved their most successful chase in One-Day Internationals thanks to a strong top-order display. Their best batsman has been opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, with 224 runs, but other standout performers include Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Rahmat Shah.
Only three of Afghanistan's eleven ODIs against Sri Lanka have resulted in victories, but none of their two World Cup meetings.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Press Time staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
