The Asia Cup 2022 will kick off with the contest between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan on August 27. Sri Lanka may have a slight advantage in batting with some polished batters in the lineup. Afghanistan, on the other hand, is banking heavily on its bowling strength. This game should be intriguing given that both sides have evenly balanced rosters. The Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan first match preview is discussed in this article. Where will Sri Lanka and Afghanistan play their opening Group B match? Only two venues in the United Arab Emirates will host the six-nation Asia Cup 2022 tournament. These two venues are: the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai and the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. The inaugural match of the fifteenth edition of the Asia Cup event between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The match will start at 8 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time). Head-to-Head T20I records between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan So far, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have only met once in the T20 format during the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 in India. Sri Lanka won that contest at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens by 6 wickets. Here are some notable h2h individual T20 statistics between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Read Asia Cup 2022: Live streaming TV channels, online platforms to watch from Bangladesh H2H Individual Twenty20 Stats between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka   Sri Lanka Afghanistan Most Runs Tillakaratne Dilshan (83) Asghar Stanikzai (62) Fifties Tillakaratne Dilshan (1) Asghar Stanikzai (1) Most Sixes Tillakaratne Dilshan (3) Asghar Stanikzai (4) Most Wickets Thisara Perera (3) Mohammad Nabi (1), Rashid Khan (1) Most Catches Dushmantha Chameera (1), Thisara Perera (1), Lahiru Thirimanne (1) Samiullah Shinwari (1) Highest Partnership Tillakaratne Dilshan, Angelo Mathews (42*) Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shinwari (61)    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read Domingo is still the head coach of Tigers:BCB Group B Match 1 (Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan): Venue Stats The Asia Cup 2022 opening match between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka will be played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which regularly hosts T20 matches. The teams from Afghanistan and Sri Lanka have played at this venue before. Let’s take a look at some of the key stats of the Dubai cricket stadium. Matches Played (T20I): 75 | Batting First (won): 35 | Fielding First (won): 39 | Highest Individual innings: Martin Guptill (93) | Best Bowling (Innings): Imad Wasim (5/14) | Highest Team Innings: 211 | Lowest Team Innings: 55 | Highest Run Chased: 183/5 Sri Lanka’s T20 record at the DICS: Match: 3 | Win: 1 | Lost: 2 Afghanistan’s T20 record at the DICS: Match: 9 | Win: 6 | Lost: 3  Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan (Group B, Match 1): What would the playing XI look like? Sri Lanka have some good options available in the batting line up. The Lankan think tank has to come up with the best possible options to make a strong batting order. Multiple sources have claimed that Sri Lanka want to include a left-arm spinner in the playing XI. Read Asia Cup Cricket 2022: Meet the captains of 6 participating teams Predicted Playing XI (Sri Lanka) Top-Order: Danushka Gunathilaka, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa,  Middle-Order: Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Mendis (wicket-keeper), Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne,  Lower-Order: Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka In contrast, the Afghanistan team has a settled batting line-up. The Afghan campaign will be hoping batters show their ability on the battlefield. If the pitch offers more to the slower bowlers, they may incorporate as many as four spinners in the playing XI. Predicted Playing XI (Afghanistan)  Top-Order: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran,  Middle-Order: Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Samiullah Shinwari, Rashid Khan, Karim Janat,  Lower-Order: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi. Read Asia Cup Cricket: A look back at Bangladesh’s 5 memorable victories Pitch report and weather forecast for the first match of Asia Cup 2022 The month of August is usually the hottest month in the UAE. Saturday will be no exception, as the weather forecast suggests that the tournament’s opening day will be sunny and hot in Dubai. The ground usually has sporting pitches where both batters and bowlers can thrive. The team that has fielded first has won twelve out of thirteen matches since 2021. That is why the toss-winning captain may opt to field first here at this venue. Verdict The opening match of the Asia Cup 2022 between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan could be a tightly-contested match. Both teams possess a few exciting T20 format cricketers who have the ability to put in match-winning performances during the contest. Since the results of the group phase’s two games will decide the fate of a Super Four berth, the players of both sides may get nervous in the match. Whoever plays with confidence and remains determined to control the matchup will have a better chance to win it.  Read Asia Cup 2022 Group B Preview: Can Bangladesh Reach Super 4 Round?

The Asia Cup cricket 2022 will begin with the group phase contest. Six teams will be divided into two groups, each containing three. India, Pakistan and the winner of the qualifier will play in Group A. On the other hand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will play in Group B, which is considered the group of death. The Asia Cup 2022 Group B preview is discussed in this article. Asia Cup Cricket 2022: Group B Preview Finishing in the top two in the Group B points table will be a real challenge as all are well capable of advancing to the Super Four phase. A fiercely contested battle is expected in all three matches in this group. Let’s take a closer look at each squad in this group. Bangladesh   The Bangladesh cricket team’s recent T20 performances have been unimpressive. Their two T20I victories this year have come against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, respectively. They even failed to win a series against the Zimbabwean team a few weeks ago. Read Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over Pakistan So, the Bangladesh team is not heading to the Asia Cup with their best of form. Appointing Shakib Al Hasan as captain and hiring Sridharan Sriram as technical consultant are two good decisions the BCB made prior to the tournament. However, as per recent form, Bangladesh will not start as the favourite to finish in the top two in Group B. Strengths Having Shakib Al Hasan as captain could be Bangladesh’s main strength in the tournament. The Shakib-led Bangladesh team is expected to be rejuvenated during the main event. His decision-making ability, game awareness and leadership qualities are compared to none at the moment in Bangladesh. Besides, spinners can play a vital role in the middle overs to check the run flow of the opposition. Weaknesses The Bangladesh team has two major weaknesses in the T20 format of cricket. The team doesn’t have an established opening pair, and there is no proper power hitter for the death overs. It remains to be seen how they will address the deficiencies during the Asia Cup. Multiple sources have claimed that Shakib wants Mushfiqur Rahim to open the innings. The selectors recalled Sabbir Rahman to play the power hitting role in the middle order. Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament T20 Records against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan Bangladesh have a poor T20 record against both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The team Tigers has won only four matches and lost eight against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Bangladesh have three victories and five losses against Afghanistan. Predicted Playing XI: Top-Order: Mushfiqur Rahim (wicket-keeper), Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (captain); Middle-Order: Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddeck Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin; Lower-Order: Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed Sri Lanka Sri Lanka have played eleven Twenty20 matches this year, eight against Australia and three against India. They have won two matches and both came against Australia. So, playing against tough opposition will boost Sri Lanka’s confidence ahead of the group stage clashes. The Lankan side will start as favourites to finish top in Group B. Read Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022 Strengths Over the last one year, the cricket world has witnessed some seriously talented T20 format cricketers from Sri Lanka. They have some individual match-winners, which is their biggest strength. Among them, all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga will top the list. Besides, Dushmantha Chameera, Pathum Nissanka, and hard-hitter Dasun Shanaka are some of Sri Lanka’s top performers in recent series. Weaknesses Most of the Lankan players don’t have enough international experience. Besides, constructing a match-winning playing XI could be a major concern for them. T20 Records against Afghanistan and Bangladesh Sri Lanka have won eight matches against Bangladesh and lost four. On the other hand, Sri Lanka won the only T20 game they played against Afghanistan in 2016. Predicted Playing XI Top-Order: Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka,  Middle-Order: Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wicket-keeper), Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne,  Lower-Order: Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Praveen Jayawickrama. Read Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket Squad Afghanistan Afghanistan have won the majority of their T20 matches this year. However, all of their fixtures were against weaker opponents. They have some T20 specialist players who have the ability to change the scenario of a match on their own. Afghanistan will start as the second favourite to qualify for the Super Four round from this group. Strengths     Afghanistan have some of the best T20 format spinners in their squad. Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rashid Khan are all world-class bowlers. Besides, their captain, Nabi, is the current world No. 1 all-rounder. He would probably be the most vital player for the Afghan side. They have some quality power hitters as well, and one of them is Hazratullah Zazai. Weaknesses The Afghanistan team sometimes tends to lose grip whenever they face any tough opposition. The Afghan players have to develop patience and a steady approach to have a solid performance against stronger opponents. T20 Records against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Afghanistan have won five matches against Bangladesh and lost three. On the other hand, Afghanistan lost the only T20 match they played against Sri Lanka in 2016. Read Asia Cup 2022: Who are favourites to lift the trophy? Predicted Playing XI Top-Order: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran,  Middle-Order: Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan,  Lower-Order: Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi Asia Cup 2022: Full Fixtures of Group B The Asia Cup of Cricket 2022 will kick off with the Group B match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Here are the fixtures for Group B. Date: 27 August | Match: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium  Date: 30 August | Match: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan | Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium  Date: 1 September | Match: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium  Verdict According to the Asia Cup 2022 Group B preview, Bangladesh will not begin the match as the favourites to advance to the next round. However, if the Shakib Al Hasan-led Tigers T20 team can reach their full potential during the competition, they have the ability to shock everyone. The favourites in this group, the Sri Lankan campaign is in full confidence, especially following a strong performance in their most recent T20 series against Australia. Afghanistan, on the other hand, has a reputation for being a deadly T20 team and is innately confident in their ability to defeat anyone. Bangladesh must thus work hard to defeat these two confident teams to secure a spot in the Super Four. Read ICC CWC Super League: WI, SL, SA could miss out on direct qualification