ICC World Cup 2019: Match 7, Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka – Statistical Preview

Afghanistan and Sri Lanka’s campaigns started with big defeats against the Trans-Tasman countries on Saturday. The Lankans were rolled over for just 136 by the Blackcaps who chased down the target without losing a wicket. The Afghans, on the other end, lost wickets in a bulk before every decent partnership in their game against Australia. They were bundled out only 207 but ensured Australia needed 35 overs to chase the total, unlike other one-sided games on Friday and Saturday.

All the key and numbers stats ahead of the game between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka:

2 – Sri Lanka has won as few as two matches in their 16 completed ODI games since the beginning of the last year’s Asia Cup. One of their two wins came against Scotland prior to the World Cup which brought an end to their 8-match losing streak in ODI format.

2-1 – Afghanistan and Sri Lanka faced off in three ODI matches with the Lankans winning in two while the Afghans won the recent most game by 91 runs in Asia Cup last year. Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by 129 runs in the 2014 Asia Cup game and registered a 4-wicket win in 2015 CWC where they chased down 234 from being 51/4.

5 – Sri Lanka lost all the five ODI matches they played at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff out of which four of those when they batted first. Sri Lanka also lost the lone Test they played at this venue back in 2011 by innings and 14 runs.

7-2 – Afghanistan has won seven of their previous nine ODI matches when they were chasing a target. One of those two losses includes the 3-run defeat against Bangladesh in last year’s Asia Cup where they failed to score eight runs in the last over.

81.33 – Batting average of Najibullah Zadran in the ODI format in 2019. The left-hander scored 244 runs in six ODI innings this year with help of a century and two half-centuries. He scored a run-a-ball fifty in the previous game against Australia.

100 – The game against Sri Lanka will be Rashid Khan’s 100th International appearance for Afghanistan. The match against Australia was in 100th game in International cricket as he featured in a T20I for the World XI against Windies last year.

1000 – Hashmatullah Shahidi (996) needs 16 more runs for 1000 runs in International cricket while Rashid Khan (968) is also 32 runs away from reaching 1000 International runs for Afghanistan.

2996 – Lahiru Thirimanne needs four more runs for completing 3000 runs in the ODI format. Thirimanne will be 3rd quickest Sri Lankan if he scores those six runs in next two innings. He hit the first ball of the previous game for a boundary before getting out on the 2nd ball.

11990 – Angelo Mathews needs ten more runs to become the 8th player to score 12000 and more runs across all formats for Sri Lanka in Internationals. Mathews bagged a duck in the previous match against New Zealand.