ICC World Cup 2023, SL vs AFG: Hashmatullah Shahidi wins the toss and chooses to bowl first

Hashmatullah Shahidi, Kusal Mendis (Pic: File Pic)

Match 30 of the ICC World Cup 2023 between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will be played in Pune's Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. Both the captains have rolled up their sleeves to face each other in today's clash.

Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sri Lanka.

Also Read: ICC World Cup 2023, SL vs AFG: Here's all you need to know

Today's clash will be an exciting one to watch as both teams will yearningly look to secure those two points to boost their chances in the ICC World Cup 2023 campaign. The Lankans are currently battling injury issues in the team. Their lead pacer Lahiru Kumara has been ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023 due to a left thigh injury. Dushmantha Chameera is named as his replacement.

Afghanistan will heavily rely on their mystery spinner Rashid Khan to strike early and get wickets against Sri Lanka. Another important player for the Afghans is Noor Ahmed who got three wickets against Pakistan including the wickets of Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The 18-year-old just conceded 49 runs in his 10-over spell.

Will Afghanistan's top order batsmen be able to deliver a top quality performance?

Squads:

Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (c), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Angelo Mathews, Dilshan Madushanka, D. Chameera.

Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w/k), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (w/k), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen ul Haq.

The story of India vs England:
The ICC World Cup 2023 match between India and England was played at Lucknow's Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bowl first.

The host team lost the early wickets of Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli. Rohit Sharma played a captain's knock by smashing 87 runs against the English bowlers. With the contribution of KL Rahul and Surya Kumar Yadav, India set a target of 230 runs for England to chase down.

None of the English batters were able to deliver high-scoring performances. Mohammed Shami, who bagged five wickets in the last clash, again bowled fireballs and got four wickets. Jasprit Bumrah with his toe-crushing yorkers disturbed England's batsmen and had three wickets under his belt. The hosts won the match by 100 runs.