Afghanistan opt to bowl against Sri Lanka

Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib won the toss and elected to bowl against Sri Lanka in their World Cup tie at the Sophia Gardens on Tuesday.

Afghanistan have made no changes to the team which played against Australia whereas Sri Lanka have made one change in their playing XI which featured against New Zealand. They have replaced Jeevan Mendis with Nuwan Pradeep.

After the toss, Gulbadin Naib said: We want to bowl first. The conditions are good for the bowlers. It's a good toss to win. We struggled in the middle, we put a good total, but that wasn't good enough against a good team like Australia. Sri Lanka is a champion side. We have made no changes.

Dimuth Karunaratne: In the last game also we batted first. The batsmen have an idea how to bat here. It's (captaincy) not easy, it's a good challenge. They give me support. Jeevan Mendis is not playing. (Nuwan)Pradeep is playing.

Playing XI: Afghanistan: Mohammad Shahzad(w), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib(c), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan

Sri Lanka: Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne(c), Kusal Perera(w), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga

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