Asia Cup 2025: Afghanistan Bat First Against Sri Lanka in Must-Win Clash for Super 4 Spot

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first in a crucial match against Sri Lanka at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Afghanistan will need to win this match by a significant margin to qualify for the Super Four of the Asia Cup.

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan said, "We would prefer to bat first. It's important to score runs on this wicket. This is an important match, so we need to keep it simple and focus on the basics. It's a new pitch. We've played a lot in Abu Dhabi. A score of 165+ is a good one. We've made some changes, replacing Ghazanfar and Naib with Mujeeb and Rasooli."

Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said, "I would also prefer to bat first. We've discussed our middle-order batting. We have two excellent openers, and that's working to our advantage. We need to improve our middle-order batting; we want action rather than talk. We've made one change: replacing Thikshana with Wellalage."

To qualify for the Asia Cup Super 4, Afghanistan needs a big win against Sri Lanka in this match. Afghanistan won their first match against Hong Kong but lost against Bangladesh. The two teams in the group, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, have won two matches each, while Hong Kong is out. Afghanistan will need a big win against Sri Lanka to advance from the league stage and achieve a better run rate.

Afghanistan's playing XI: Sediqullah Atal, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Umarzai, Karim Jannat, Rashid Khan (captain), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqui

Sri Lanka's playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (captain), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara