Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Asia Cup 2025: Key Players, Head-to-Head Stats and Other Records

Sri Lanka will take on Afghanistan in an important game of the Asia Cup 2025 on September 18 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. The contest will start at 8:00 PM IST, and a win for Afghanistan will take them to the Super 4 stage.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka are almost through to the next round after impressive victories over Hong Kong and Bangladesh. Dushmantha Chameera and Pathum Nissanka will be key players for the Lankans

Must win game for Afghanistan

Afghanistan lost to Bangladesh in their previous match, and they will have to go past Sri Lanka to book their place in the next round. The Rashid Khan-led team started the Asia Cup 2025 with a win against Hong Kong, but a loss in the next fixture has put them in a dicey situation. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran need to contribute with the bat, while Afghanistan will also rely on Rashid and Mohammad Nabi.

Head-to-Head Record

Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have competed against each other eight times in T20Is, with the former winning five matches and the latter three.

Pathum Nissanka has amassed 139 runs in six innings against Afghanistan, while Wanindu Hasaranga has taken 8 wickets in six matches.

For Afghanistan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz has managed 248 runs in six innings, with the help of two fifties.

Key Players

Sri Lanka

Pathum Nissanka: He is the leading run scorer in the Asia Cup 2025, with 119 runs in two matches

Dushmantha Chameera: He has taken 11 wickets in five innings and is likely to keep the Afghanistan batters under pressure.

Afghanistan

Rahmanullah Gurbaz: He has scored 248 runs against Sri Lanka in T20Is.

Rashid Khan: He has taken 173 wickets in T20Is and has been in good form in this year’s Asia Cup.

Fazalhaq Farooqi: He is one of the best fast bowlers at the moment, and his line and length are going to trouble the Lankans.

Records likely to be achieved

Rahmanullah Gurbaz needs 7 runs to go past Najibullah Zadran as Afghanistan’s third-highest run-scorer in T20Is.

Pathum Nissanka requires 23 runs to surpass Kusal Mendis as Sri Lanka’s second-highest T20I scorer.

Dushmantha Chameera needs 1 wicket to join Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis as Sri Lanka’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is.