Mohammad Nabi: “We had a good start in the powerplay but did not keep the momentum till the end. We tried to put up a good score but the pitch was too slow and we fell short. We did not bowl in the right lines and lengths. Too many full balls by the fast bowlers. That is why we gave them a lot of opportunities to hit. [On playing Australia] For the last ten days we didn’t play a game. So we did not get any momentum. We have one more game and hopefully, we do well.”
Dasun Shanaka: “It was a good performance with bat and bowl. Special credit to Dhananjaya de Silva. He showed in T20s that it is not about taking the bowlers on and he timed it well. I think we found some consistency today and it is important to continue it in the next game. The other games are beyond our control but the aim is to win the next game with a healthy rate.”
Wanindu Hasaranga is the player of the match: “We lost our last two games against Australia and New Zealand. We had to play at our best. I am really happy with the way the boys played. I saw Zampa bowled really well in the last match and tried to bowl in line of the stumps and vary my pace. In Perth, I went for some runs and that pitch is very good for batters. I knew how I could come back strong and I think I did that. [Bowling the last over] These [long] boundaries and on this surfaces, I knew how to bowl with these big boundaries.”
Pitch and weather: The Gabba’s customary bounce and swing will likely be on show in the afternoon, but that’s if the rain stops for long enough to allow a game. There’s a 90% chance of rain according to some forecasts.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Highlights today. 32nd Match, Group 1, Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Tuesday 1-11-2022, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.
Afghanistan have won the toss and will bat first!
Mohammed Nabi: “It’s a used pitch, so just want to put a good score on the board. Preparations have been perfect, only Zazai is missing. The last two games were washed out, which was really hard cos we were mentally ready in the camp. Mujeeb is going to be really important in the powerplay, most of the time he gets early wickets, so he’ll be more important here.”
Dasun Shanaka: “We have just the one change with Chamika Karunaratne making way for Pramod Madushan. [losing the last two games] it can happen, but it’s important we bounce back. [poor fielding?] We are a good fielding side, it’s about having confidence on game days. We’re still in with a chance [of making the semis] so hopefully, we can win this game and the next and give ourselves a chance.”
Afghanistan team: 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Usman Ghani, 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Gulbadin Naib, 6 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Fareed Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi
Sri Lanka team: 1 Kusal Mendis (wk), 2 Pathum Nissanka, 3 Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Charith Asalanka, 5 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 6 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 7 Wanindu Hasaranga, 8 Pramod Madushan, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Lahiru Kumara
Head to Head In T20I’s: 3
Afghanistan Won: 1
Sri Lanka Won: 2
Afghanistan T20I Rankings: 10th
Sri Lanka T20I Rankings: 8th
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Points Table
Form guide
(last five completed Tests, most recent first)
Afghanistan LLLLW
Sri Lanka LLWWW
Match Timings: 04:00 AM GMT | 02:00 PM Local
Umpires – Ahsan Raza, Rod Tucker
TV Umpire – Nitin Menon
Match Referee – Andy Pycroft
Reserve Umpire – Langton Rusere
Match number – T20I no. 1856
