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?

Bangladesh's first victory in the Asia Cup Cricket came against Hong Kong in a group stage contest in the eighth edition of the tournament in Sri Lanka in 2004. Bangladesh have so far won 10 games in the competition, including ODI and T20 formats. With the fifteenth edition of the tournament about to kick off, let’s take a look at the Bangladesh men’s team’s five unforgettable victories in Asia Cup history. Bangladesh men’s team’s five memorable victories in Asia Cup cricket Since 2012, the Bangladesh national men’s cricket team started to win matches consistently in the Asia Cup Cricket competition.Nine out of their ten victories in the tournament’s history came in the previous four editions. Some of the triumphs were truly memorable ones for cricket fans. Let’s have a look at Bangladesh’s five outstanding victories in the Asia Cup. Bangladesh vs India (2012 Asia Cup) Venue: SBNCS, Mirpur Result: Bangladesh won by 5 wickets It was Bangladesh’s second match in the competition, and they had to overcome India in their quest for the final berth. Not many thought Bangladesh would be able to beat a very strong Indian side, especially after Sachin Tendulkar’s historic milestone. Read Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over Pakistan Sachin completed his 100th international century in the contest and guided India to 289/5. A confident Bangladesh side took an aggressive approach and chased down the target with 4 balls to spare. Shakib Al Hasan was named player of the match after scoring 49 runs in 31 balls. Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (2012 Asia Cup) Venue: SBNCS, Mirpur Result: Bangladesh won by 5 wickets (D/L Method) Bangladesh would play in the final if they beat Sri Lanka, and that was the equation prior to the match. A revitalized Bangladesh squad was committed to beating the Lankan team, and they were successful in their mission. Sri Lanka made 232 after being asked to bat first. The Tigers chased down the revised target of 212 in 40 overs with 17 balls remaining for the loss of 5 wickets. All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan once again played a vital role for his team. He won the player of the match award after taking two wickets and hitting 56 off 46 balls. Read Asia Cup Qualifier 2022: Which team is the favourite to qualify? Bangladesh vs Pakistan (2016 Asia Cup) Venue: SBNCS, Mirpur Result: Bangladesh won by 5 wickets The 2016 Asia Cup was played in the Twenty20 format. Bangladesh had to defeat Pakistan in their last match of the group stage to get to the championship game against India. It was a low-scoring, tightly contested affair which eventually Bangladesh won by 5 wickets. The team Tigers chased down Pakistan’s 130 runs target with 5 balls to spare. Soumya Sarkar played a crucial 48 off 48 balls as an opener and won the player of the match award. Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (2018 Asia Cup) Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium  Result: Bangladesh won by 137 runs  Bangladesh’s match against Sri Lanka was the 2018 Asia Cup opener. It was one of the more memorable matches for the Tigers' cricket fans. Tamim Iqbal was applauded for his heroic decision to come out to bat with a broken finger after being injured early in the innings. He remained unbeaten for 2* but gave great support to Mushfiqur Rahim to go after the Lankan bowlers. Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament Mushfiqur went on to score 144 and set a 262-run target for Sri Lanka. Bangladesh eventually won the contest quite comfortably by 137 runs and made a strong start to the competition. For a magnificent century, Mushfiqur Rahim won player of the match. Bangladesh vs Pakistan (2018 Asia Cup) Venue: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Result: Bangladesh won by 37 runs  The last fixture between Bangladesh and Pakistan in the Super Four round was a do-or-die contest in their quest for the final berth. Mushfiqur Rahim’s 99-run knock guided his side to put up a challenging 239-run on the board. Bangladesh did manage to beat Pakistan thanks to some quality bowling performances. Pakistan finished their innings at 202/9 in 50 overs and conceded a 37-run defeat. Left-arm pacer Mustafizur bagged 4 wickets, but Mushfiqur won the player of the match award for his outstanding knock. Bangladesh reached their third Asia Cup final in six years with this triumph. Read Asia Cup 2022 Group B Preview: Can Bangladesh Reach Super 4 Round? Aftermath The Bangladesh men's team had trouble competing in the early Asia Cup cricket competitions. The roaring tigers showcased their true potential to the cricketing world in the eleventh edition of the competition in 2012. Defeating two Asian powerhouses, India and Sri Lanka, in the group stage secured a spot in the final of the 2012 Asia Cup. Bangladesh Men's Cricket team's 5 outstanding victories in Asia Cup made the nation proud. Bangladesh made it to three finals in the previous four competitions, but failed to win any titles. However, no one can deny that the performances of Tigers' in the recent Asia Cup competitions were quite praiseworthy.