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The Sri Lankan men’s team is playing their first of
eight (perhaps nine) Test matches against Afghanistan in 2024. The Afghanistan
men’s team has played seven Tests in its history. This appears to be out of
alignment.
Since November, Rashid Khan has not played competitive
cricket and is still recovering from back surgery, so he is unable to inspire
Afghanistan with his frightening legbreaks. Zahir Khan, a left-arm wristspinner
with an average of 44.90 from his four Test appearances, is their most
experienced spinner in a country where spin often decides matches.
Additionally, they have left themselves fewer than three days to acclimatise
after only arriving in Sri Lanka on Tuesday night.
But with the bat is where Afghanistan will believe
they can match Sri Lanka more fairly. Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran have both
performed well against Sri Lanka in the shorter formats, while Hashmatullah
Shahidi, the captain, averages 53.57 in Test cricket. Afghanistan’s batting has
excelled most in the One-Day Internationals (ODIs) they have played in Sri
Lanka. They won’t be underestimating their recent domination over Sri Lanka’s
bowlers in that particular format.
With Dhananjaya de Silva taking charge of his first
Test match, Sri Lanka is starting a new chapter in their history. He hasn’t
made any bold promises yet. Maybe a stronger focus on fielding, but no drastic
changes to people or strategy. With his recent development into a respectable
lower-middle-order hitter who makes significant contributions both on the field
and with the ball, he has been a dynamic member of the Sri Lanka Test team.
Watching him lead an offence without any game-winning outside shots and bowl
himself a lot would be interesting.