Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will face off in a crucial ICC World Cup 2023 match on Monday, October 30, 2023, in Pune. Both sides have lost three of their five games so far, and a win in this match will be essential to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

Afghanistan have been in good form in recent matches, with wins over England and Pakistan. However, they will still need to be wary of Sri Lanka’s batting lineup, which features Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, and Dhananjaya de Silva.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have been boosted by back-to-back wins over Netherlands and England. They will be looking to continue their winning streak and move up the points table.

The match is expected to be a close contest, with both sides evenly matched. The toss could prove to be crucial, with the team batting first likely to have an advantage.

Playing XIs:

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera/Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka

Pitch and Conditions:

The Pune surface in recent times has shown a propensity for high scores, but there’s also been some assistance for the spinners – something both sides could benefit from. That said, dew might come into play in the evening, so the toss will prove crucial as usual.

Prediction:

This is a tough match to predict, with both sides evenly matched. However, Afghanistan have been in better form in recent matches, and they have the home advantage. I would predict an Afghanistan win, but it should be a close contest.