After a formidable win in the first ODI, followed by an abandoned second contest due to rain, Afghanistan now find themselves in with a wonderful opportunity to win their first ever bilateral ODI series against Sri Lanka.
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The third and last encounter of the three-match series between these two sides will take place at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium yet again, on November 30 (Wednesday).
Another good news for Afghanistan coming post the abandoned second ODI was that they became the seventh team to secure their berth for the ODI World Cup 2023, with 115 points under their belt.
On the other hand, Sri Lankan hopes for direct qualification received a massive dent, as they are currently placed at the 10th spot in the table, with mere 67 points and four matches left to be played in the league.
They will need to win at least three of their remaining four ODIs to significantly improve their chances of direct qualification.
Their fans will bank upon the likes of Pathum Nissanka and Wanindu Hasaranga to come good yet again, and finish the series on a high.
As for Afghanistan, their top-3 batters in the line-up – Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Rahmat Shah are also the three highest run-getters in the series so far (in this particular order).
SL vs AFG 3rd ODI pitch report
Akin the first two ODIs, the pitch at the Pallekele International stadium will yet again turn out to be good for batting, and is most likely to remain the same throughout.
The quality spinners from both the sides will likely keep the run flow in check during the middle-Overs, with the match yet again to take place on the used track.
The average score across 31 completed ODIs at this venue stands at 271 runs. Thus, the skipper winning the Toss tomorrow will likely opt to bat first, with the weather likely to stay clear tomorrow in Pallekele.
