Sri Lanka aim to get campaign on track
Sri Lanka should not have too many problems opening their World Cup account in Dunedin, but it will be the manner of the performance that will be closely watched
The Preview by Andrew McGlashan
21-Feb-2015
Match facts
February 22, 2015
Start time 11.00am local (2200 GMT, previous day)
Start time 11.00am local (2200 GMT, previous day)
Big picture
Much talk before the opening World Cup game was of how Sri Lanka lift themselves for global tournaments. That was not evident against New Zealand where a poor all-round display led to a heavy defeat. Afghanistan were also given a harsh assessment after their opening defeat - with coach Andy Moles saying the world "had not seen them play" - which emphasises how serious they are at not just being a side-show in this tournament.
Sri Lanka should not have too many problems opening their World Cup account in Dunedin, but it will be the manner of the performance that will be closely watched. Lasith Malinga remains short of a gallop and the fielding was hugely inconsistent in Christchurch.
Afghanistan can certainly make life tricky. Shapoor Zadran and Hamid Hassan are a lively new-ball attack, and there was considerable help on offer for the quicks in the opening match at this venue when New Zealand faced Scotland, but the challenge is sustaining a performance through an entire innings.
They have also faced a longer journey than Sri Lanka for this match - shifting from Canberra to Dunedin - but while they may not have quite the same vocal support as at Manuka Oval, they are likely to be the neutral supporters' choice.
Form guide
Afghanistan LWLLW (last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka LWLLL
Sri Lanka LWLLL
In the spotlight
Samiullah Shenwari was on the receiving end of some tough umpiring when he was ordered out of the attack against Bangladesh after just seven deliveries for running on the danger area. Moles did not criticise the call by umpire Steve Davis, but said Shenwari had never had the issue before. Now Shenwari must confront the pressure and it will be interesting to see if he is thrown the ball again. His batting is a vital component for Afghanistan as he holds their second highest average (36.55) - and the best of a sustained career - in ODIs.
Suranga Lakmal was comfortably the pick of Sri Lanka's pace bowlers against New Zealand, although he did not come into the attack until Brendon McCullum departed - a deliberate tactic by Angelo Mathews. Given the conditions in Dunedin he should be given an earlier chance, as his natural full length will be able to extract whatever movement is on offer.
Teams news
Moles may consider a change to the Afghanistan top order, which was 3 for 3 against Bangladesh, with one option available - a recall for 18-year-old Usman Ghani, perhaps in place of Javed Ahmadi. Ghani averages 33 after 12 ODIs, including a century against Zimbabwe, and averaged 47.80 in the pre-World Cup tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Afghanistan (possible) 1 Javed Ahmadi, 2 Afsar Zazai (wk), 3 Nawroz Mangal, 4 Asghar Stanikzai, 5 Samiullah Shenwari, 6 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Mirwais Ashraf, 9 Aftab Alam, 10 Hamid Hassan, 11 Shapoor Zadran
Nuwan Kulasekara, so long the fulcrum of the one-day attack, could be under pressure for his place from the young quick Dushmantha Chameera who made his debut in Wellington last month. Although expensive, he made an impression with his pace. The rest of the side is likely to be given another chance; conditions are not conducive to bolstering the spin attack.
Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Dimuth Karunaratne, 6 Angelo Mathews (capt), 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Dushmantha Chameera
Pitch and conditions
The new ball moved considerably for New Zealand (although was in the hands of two skilful bowlers) but a fast outfield and short boundaries means runs can also flow freely. University Oval is one the venues ideal for preserving wickets for a late-innings assault. The weather is set fair, although is again likely to be a few degrees below what the Sri Lankans would like.
Stats and trivia
- The one previous ODI between the teams was a 129-run win for Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup although Afghanistan restricted them to 253 for 6.
- The 78 runs conceded by Nuwan Kulasekara (from eight overs) were the third most of his ODI career and all three have come since May 2014.
- This World Cup was the first time since 1999 - when they lost to England - that Sri Lanka had not won their first game of the tournament, although that did includes wins against Bermuda (2007) and Canada (2011).
Quotes
"A lot of these guys have played against Associate members lower than Scotland, Ireland and UAE, and they can get away with it. As they step up and move forward, they need to be more selective."
Afghanistan coach Andy Moles on the challenges faced by his batsmen
Afghanistan coach Andy Moles on the challenges faced by his batsmen
"We know Afghanistan are a positive, aggressive outfit. You can't take them lightly and we'll be playing our best XI."
Angelo Mathews is not taking Afghanistan lightly
Angelo Mathews is not taking Afghanistan lightly
Andrew McGlashan is a senior assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo