The opening match of the three-game ODI series between Sri Lanka (SL) and Afghanistan (AFG) is scheduled for Friday, February 9, at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.
Following their first-ever Test encounter, Sri Lanka secured a dominant 10-wicket victory in Colombo. Despite Afghanistan’s improved batting display in the second innings, with Ibrahim Zadran’s century and Rahmat Shah’s consistent performance, their bowling department lacked experience. Nonetheless, they aim to perform better in the upcoming ODIs, a format where they have more experience and success.
Afghanistan, dubbed the Blue Tigers, enter the ODI series after an impressive showing in the previous year’s World Cup, where they won four out of nine matches and finished sixth. In their only encounter, they defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka, following a disappointing World Cup campaign, won just two out of nine matches and finished ninth. Despite recent victories against Zimbabwe, key players like Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal are absent from the ODI squad. The home team pins hopes on Sadeera Samarawickrama, their top scorer in the World Cup, to regain form. Despite this, their bowling lineup looks solid with experienced campaigners leading the attack.
SL vs AFG Head To Head ODI Records & Stats
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have played 12 ODI matches in which Sri Lanka has won 7 while Afghanistan won 4 times. 1 match between the two teams ended without a result.
| Matches Played | 12 |
| Sri Lanka won | 7 |
| Afghanistan won | 4 |
| NR | 1 |