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Dubai Stadium pitch report Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan: Is Dubai International Stadium pitch report for bowlers?

Gurpreet Singh
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Dubai Stadium pitch report Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan: Is Dubai International Stadium pitch report for bowlers?

Dubai Stadium pitch report Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan: The stadium is set to host the first match of Asia Cup 2022 today.

Sri Lanka is set to face-off against Afghanistan in the first ‘Group B’ match of Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Stadium today.

As for the recent T20 format form, Afghanistan have arrived UAE with a on the back of a better form compared to Sri Lanka. Despite losing 3-2 against Ireland in the five-match T20I series around a week ago, they did manage to defeat Afghanistan (3-0), and draw Bangladesh (1-1) in the other two shortest format series this year. Having said that, it remains to be seen how they perform against top-ranked sides in the battle for the continental supremacy.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have managed to win just a couple of T20Is off the eleven they have played this year. In fact, they have managed to win just one T20I series since the year 2020, against a second string Indian side. The Dasun Shanaka-led side has lost twice against Australia and once against India in the shortest format series this year.

All in all, Sri Lanka will surely start as favourites on the back of a comparatively stronger batting line-up than Afghanistan, on the basis of T20 skill-sets. Both the teams will play only their second T20I today, having last played during the 2016 T20 World Cup in India.

Dubai Stadium pitch report Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan

The Dubai international Stadium is set to host its first T20I since the grand finale of the 2021 T20I World Cup in November between Australia and New Zealand.

While the presence of dew during the World Cup here last year did play a huge role, the past few nights at this venue has not experienced much dew, which makes the case for an balanced contest between bat and the ball.

For record, the chasing teams have won 13 off the 14 T20Is at this venue since 2019, with the pitch assisting the bowlers for large parts of these contests.

Since last year, not once has the team total breached the 200-run mark. In fact, the average score across the 75 T20Is at this venue since 2009 is 144.6.

Thus, all in all, the bowlers, especially the spinners, are likely to have much of a say during the first match of Asia Cup 2022 today.

About the author

Gurpreet Singh

Gurpreet Singh

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Gurpreet Singh is a Cricket writer at The Sportsrush. His platonic relationship with sports had always been there since childhood, but Cricket managed to strike a special, intimate nerve of his heart. Although his initial dream of playing the sport at the highest level couldn't come to fruition, Gurpreet did represent the state of Jharkhand at the under-14 level. However, almost like taking a pledge to never let the undying passion for Cricket fade away even a tad, he made sure to continue the love relationship by assigning the field of journalism as an indirect Cupid. He thus, first finished his bachelor's in journalism and then pursued the PG Diploma course in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). Soon after and since 2019, he has been working at The Sportsrush. Apart from sports, he takes keen interest in politics, and in understanding women and gender-related issues.

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