SL vs AFG Head to Head Records In T20Is- 2nd T20I, 2024

After losing the opening game by a close margin, Afghanistan will aim for a victory against Sri Lanka in the next game. SL vs AFG, 2nd T20I 2024, will take place on Monday, February 19. Sri Lanka leads the SL vs AFG T20I series 1-0 after winning the opening game.

The SL vs AFG 2nd T20I will also take place at the same venue Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla. Sri Lanka won the 1st T20I by 4 runs in a thrilling clash. Batting first, the hosts were bowled out for 160 in the 1st innings.

Wanindu Hasaranga (67) slammed a half-century after top top-order batter failed to go big. Later, they bounced back with a brilliant bowling show. Afghan skipper Ibrahim Zadran smacked an unbeaten 67 runs.

However, he could not drive the team to victory. Pacer Matheesha Pathirana clinched a 4-wicket haul to demolish Afghan batters. In the end, Binura Fernando defended 11 runs in the final over to propel Sri Lanka to a fascinating victory.

Also Read: Bangladesh squads for Sri Lanka white-ball series announced; Mahmudullah returns to T20I set-up

SL vs AFG Head-to-Head Records In T20Is- 2nd T20I, 2024

SL vs AFG: Key Statistics

Sri Lanka has a good record against Afghanistan in the shortest format. If we glance at SL vs AFG head-to-head records in T20Is, both teams have played 6 games. Sri Lanka has won 4 matches while Afghanistan has won 2 games.

Both teams have only played 1 game in Sri Lanka- the previous T20I game. Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka in the Asian Games 2023 last year. However, both teams had second-string squads in the tournament.

Also Read: Revealed: Why Sri Lanka players are wearing black armbands in 3rd ODI against Afghanistan

SL vs AFG: Recent 5 Encounters

If we talk about the recent five SL vs AFG encounters in T20Is, Sri Lanka has won 3 games and lost 2. Sri Lanka lost a match in the Asian Games 2023 last year. Their other defeat against Afghanistan arrived in 2022 when they lost in the Asia Cup 2022. These two encounters are the only instances when Afghanistan stunned Sri Lanka in T20Is.

Also Read: Afghanistan squad for Sri Lanka T20Is announced, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman ruled out

Key moments and stand-out performances

Rahmanullah Gurbaz once shattered 84 runs in the Asia Cup 2022 clash against Sri Lanka. Ibrahim Zadran also slammed an unbeaten 67 runs in the previous match. Former batter Asghar Afghan stormed a 62-run knock in March 2016 to drive Afghanistan to victory against Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2016.

Former Sri Lanka player Tillakratne Dilshan slammed an unbeaten 83 runs against Afghanistan in 2016, which is still the highest-ever knock by a Sri Lanka batter against Afghanistan. Wanindu Hasaranga slammed an unbeaten 67 runs in the previous SL vs AFG T20I. Nuwan Thusara picked a 4-wicket haul against Afghanistan during the Asian Games 2023.

Matheesha Pathirana hunted 4 wickets in the last SL vs AFG T20I encounter. Hasaranga grabbed 3 wickets in a T20I game in November 2022. Fazalhaq Farroqi grabbed 3 wickets in the last match. All these are among the top performances during SL vs AFG clashes in T20Is.

Also Read: Sunil Gavaskar labels Rahmanullah Gurbaz as “slight copy of MS Dhoni”

Trends and Patterns

In the first few encounters between both sides since 2016, Sri Lanka managed to outplay Afghanistan by huge margins. The only exception was the Asia Cup 2022 encounter when Afghanistan won by 8 wickets.

However, the recent two matches were close-fought encounters. For instance, Sri Lanka won the previous T20I by 4 runs while Afghanistan won the prior clash by 8 runs. Hence, Sri Lanka has found it hard to outplay Afghanistan with ease in recent times.