The only Test from Afghanistan’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2024, will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo. The five-day match is set to begin on February 2 and is expected to end on or before February 6, with the action commencing at 10:00 AM IST.
Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will compete for the first time in the Test format of the game.
As per the ICC Men’s Test Rankings, the hosts of the upcoming fixture are ranked eighth while Afghanistan are 11th on the table.
This will be Afghanistan’s eighth appearance in the longer format of the game after their maiden Test in 2018 against India.
Sri Lanka’s last played Test was against Pakistan in 2023, ahead of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. The home team, Sri Lanka, lost both the matches of the series. Afghanistan also lost their last Test, played in Bangladesh ahead of the mega tournament.
Newly appointed captain Dhananjaya de Silva will lead Sri Lanka in the red-ball format. The 16-member squad includes experienced players like Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Sadeera Samarawickrama and more. The squad includes three debutants too, namely, Lahiru Udara, who is a wicketkeeper-batter, Chamika Gunasekara, a fast bowler and Milan Rathnayake. Udara and Gunasekara have represented the national team in T20Is and ODIs earlier while Rathnayake is yet to make his debut in any format.
For Afghanistan, Hashmatullah Shahidi will continue to lead. Qais Ahmed has been named as Rashid Khan’s replacement as the senior spinner is nursing his back injury. The 16-member squad includes four uncapped players - Noor Ali Zadran (top-order batter), Zia-ur-Rehman (bowling all-rounder), Mohammad Ishaq (wicketkeeper-batter) and Naveed Zadran.
The only Test will be followed by three ODIs and T20Is each.
Where to watch Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Test 2024 live in India
The Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Only Test 2024 will be telecast live on Sony Sports Ten 5 and Sony Sports Ten 5 HD TV channels in India.
Live streaming of Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Test 2024 will be available on the SonyLIV app and website in India.
Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Test 2024 squads
Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Kusal Mendis (vice-captain/wicket-keeper), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka (wicket-keeper), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wicket-keeper), Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Udara (wicket-keeper), Chamika Gunasekara, Milan Rathnayake.
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah (vice-captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Noor Ali Zadran, Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Ikram Alikhil (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Ishaq (wicket-keeper), Qais Ahmad, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood, Mohammad Saleem, Naveed Zadran.
Photo credit: Alamy
