At the start of the last month, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan were involved in a nail-biting contest in the preliminary round of the Asia Cup. From being on the cusp of ousting Sri Lanka — and more importantly — progressing to the Super Four, a net run rate miscalculation resulted in Afghanistan’s campaign coming to a halt.
Cut to Monday, and Hashmatullah Shahidi’s Atalan army will hope to complete the unfinished business at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. Despite both the teams having many bright spots, Afghanistan will hold the edge.
After all, despite a week-long break, the team is on a high of defeating Pakistan — its fiercest rival — for the first in ODIs. The spin-dominated bowling pack will be keen to continue the good work and end up on the winning side in a fast-evolving continental rivalry.
