SL vs AFG: Sri Lanka announced Schedule of ODI Series against Afghanistan

Sri Lankan Cricket Board announced the schedule of the ODI series against Afghanistan on 9th May 2023; They are preparing for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers in June and July, which is hosted by Zimbabwe.

Afghanistan already qualified for the World Cup 2023, whereas Sri Lanka still needs to get direct qualification for the upcoming World Cup. Now both teams are going to play three Matches ODI series to prepare themselves for the World Cup.

All three matches of this series are going to be played at Hambantota. It was surprising to see that all three international matches were going to take place at a single venue. In Sri Lanka, multiple international cricket stadiums are already available to host matches.

Sri Lanka and Afghanistan played their last series in November last year. Sri Lanka managed to tie the series at 1-1, and one match was called off due to heavy rain. 

Afghanistan won the first match of the that series by 60 runs, whereas the second match was washed out due to heavy rain. The last match was won by the host nation, hence Sri Lanka managed to level the series.

Most probable, Rashid Khan is going to lead the Afghanistan team in the upcoming ODI series, whereas Dasun Shanaka will lead the Sri Lankan Team for the upcoming home series.

This Series is very important for the Sri Lankan Team as, for now, they aren't get qualified for the ICC World Cup 2023, and this series is just before the ICC Cricket World Cup qualifier. So, they want to prepare for this qualifier and hence make their Position in the world cup 2023, but it will be challenging as there are teams like West Indies and other good teams. To defeat them would be a challenging task for Sri Lanka.

Some key players of both teams are currently playing IPL matches for their respective franchises. The Afghanistan team will reach Sri Lanka on 29th May, but only some players are playing in the IPL, and the last match of the IPL will be played on 28th May. It is tough for players like Rashid Khan to go back from India to Sri Lanka for an ODI series on 29th May.?

Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan ODI Series Full Schedule:

Date	Matches	Venue
Friday, June 2nd	Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 1st ODI	MRIC Stadium, Hambantota
Sunday, June 4th	Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI	MRIC Stadium, Hambantota
Wednesday, June 7th	Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 3rd ODI	MRIC Stadium, Hambantota

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