Sri Lanka and Afghanistan face each other in the SL vs AFG ODI series. Pallekele hosts all three ODIs and the first game will be on Friday, February 9. All matches start at 2:30 pm IST.
Sri Lanka, after beating Afghanistan in the only Test, is now gearing up for the ODI series. They will be coached by Kusal Mendis, who has his white-ball regulars available for the series. Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dusmantha Chameera and Dilshan Madushanka form the bowling core.
Sri Lanka, after suffering an uneven performance in the World Cup, changed its lead in all formats. Kusal Mendis was named ODI captain, Hasaranga Test captain and Dhananjaya de Silva Test captain. Sri Lanka recently played an ODI series against Zimbabwe and came close to the brink. They won the series 2-1, but Zimbabwe tested them to the limit.
This is what makes them a vulnerable team even in their native conditions. Afghanistan has played 12 ODI matches against Sri Lanka, winning four and losing seven. They have the opportunity to increase this account in this series.
Afghanistan will be led by Hasmatullah Shahidi. The white ball team has recovered all the key players. Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmaullah Gurbaz and Rahmat Shah for the batting core. Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib are the all-rounders, and Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad and Qais Ahmad form the bowling core. Rashid Khan is absent from the series because he is still recovering from his lower back injury.
Also Read: Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma! Mohammed Shami answers who is the best and who is the most dangerous
Afghanistan They last played ODI cricket in the World Cup, where they won four games in the tournament. They defeated Pakistan, Netherlands, England and Sri Lanka in the tournament. They also had a chance to beat Bangladesh in the tournament but couldn’t. Last time they played a T20I series against India which they lost.
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have played 12 ODIs, with the Lankans winning seven matches and the Afghans four. In five T20Is between the two sides, Sri Lanka has won three and Afghanistan two.
Head-to-head records between SL and AFG (general statistics)
| Format | Proof | ODI | T20I |
| Games played | 0 | 12 | 4 |
| SL won | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| AFG won | 0 | 4 | 1 |
SL vs AFG head-to-head records in testing
| Games played | 1 |
| Afghanistan won | 0 |
| Sri Lanka won | 1 |
| Tied | 0 |
| Drawn | 0 |
| % of victories in Afghanistan | 0 |
| % of wins in Sri Lanka | 100% |
| Draw % | 0 |
| Played for the first time | 2024 |
| Last played on | 2024 |
Head-to-head records between SL and AFG in ODIs
| Games played | 12 |
| Afghanistan won | 4 |
| Sri Lanka won | 7 |
| Tied | 0 |
| Without results | 1 |
| % of victories in Afghanistan | 33.33% |
| % of wins in Sri Lanka | 58.33% |
| Played for the first time | 2014 |
| Last played on | 2023 |
Head-to-head records between SL and AFG in T20Is
| Games played | 4 |
| Afghanistan won | 1 |
| Sri Lanka won | 3 |
| Tied | 0 |
| Without results | 0 |
| % of victories in Afghanistan | 25 |
| % of wins in Sri Lanka | 75 |
| Played for the first time | 2016 |
| Last played on | 2022 |
Head-to-head records between SL and AFG in ODIs: First ODI, 2024
Games played: 12
Afghanistan won-4
Sri Lanka won-7
More runs for Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka-342
Most wickets for Sri Lanka: Kasun Rajitha-12
More candidates for Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran: 498
Most lands for Afghanistan: Rashid Khan: 12
Also Read: Nasser Hussain Slams Ben Stokes For His Opinion On Zak Crawley’s Controversial DRS Decision