Asia Cup 2018: Strongest Afganistan XI to beat Sri Lanka

Vishal
MCC v Afghanistan
MCC v Afghanistan

Sri Lanka has already lost their opening match against Bangladesh by a huge margin. Afganistan would be looking to give the Sri Lankans a knockout punch and push them out of the tournament.

Let's look at the squad Afganistan should select to beat Sri Lanka in their opening game -

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#1 Openers - Mohammad Shahzad and Rahmat Shah

Mohammad Shahzad
Mohammad Shahzad

For Afghanistan to beat Pakistan The openers will have to give them a strong start. A strong start by the openers will also allow the middle order to play freely and help the team reach a substantial total.

Mohammad Shahzad is a very capable batsman and can give a blistering start at top of the order. He is one of Afganistan's most dependable batsman over the years. He possesses a good ODI record and has scored four wonderful centuries. He needs to play to his strengths to help Afganistan do well against Sri Lanka.

Rahmat Shah also possesses a good ODI record. He would be a dependable selection as an opener. He has scored three ODI centuries and possesses an average of almost 38. He needs to play a long innings for the team to beat Sri Lanka.

#2 Middle order - Munir Ahmad, Ashghar Afgan, Samiullah Shenwari

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Samiullah Shenwari

Munir Ahmad would be a very good selection to come at number three. Though he is still yet to make his debut, He is a very talented cricketer and should be trusted to do well. He possesses an excellent first-class record with five centuries. His List-A average is also very good at 48.42.

Ashar Afgan has the ability to occupy the crease for a long time. This ability would allow the other aggressive batsmen to play their attacking shots. He can play a very determined innings if the Afghan Batting gets into trouble.

Samiullah Shenwari is a vital component of the Afghanistani batting line-up. He has the ability to form useful partnerships and bats very well with the tail.

#3 Finisher and all-rounder - Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi

ICC World Twenty20 India 2016:  South Africa v Afghanistan
Najibullah Zadran

Najibullah Zadran possesses a natural talent to hit boundaries and has as many as 42 sixes in his short career. He has the ability to play match-changing innings and tilt the advantage towards Afganistan favour. He has played many aggressive innings for Afganistan in ODI's.

Mohammad Nabi is a very capable backup spinner to the duo of Rashid Khan and Mujib-ur-Rahman. His batting is also very handy and possesses a century in ODI cricket. He also has the ability to hit sixes at will when in full flow while batting.

#4 Spinners - Rashid Khan and Mujib-Ur-Rahman

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Rashid Khan

Rashid is presently one of the best bowlers in limited overs cricket. He is the fastest to reach 100 wickets and possesses a bowling average of just 14.22. Most Batsmen find it very difficult to pick up his leg spin. His economy rate is also just 3.92 which shows what a gem he is for his team.

Mujib-ur-Rahman is a very talented off-spinner and possesses plenty of variations. His ODI record is excellent. He has picked up 37 wickets at an average of just 18.21. His economy rate is also below 4.

#5 Fast bowlers - Gulbadin Naib and Wafadar

ICC World Twenty20 India 2016:  South Africa v Afghanistan
Gulbadin Naib

Gulbadin Naib is a talented right arm medium fast bowler. His bowling has improved over the years and is an important cog in the Afganistan lineup. He chips with important wickets at vital moments. He also has the ability to bat and hit useful lower order runs.

Wafadar is a talented young fast bowler who made his international debut against India in test cricket. His bowling was promising and could make an impact against the Sri Lankans.


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Edited by Rohit Nath