Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan Asia Cup 2022. (Photo Source: SURJEET YADAV/AFP via Getty Images)
Sri Lanka have established themselves as one of the competitive teams in the Asia Cup. The co-hosts of the upcoming Intercontinental championship have been playing since the inception of the mega event and have consistently performed well in the tournament. They have taken part in all 15 editions played so far and played in finals on 13 occasions.
Out of these finals, they have emerged victorious six times while finishing as the runners-up in seven. In last year’s Asia Cup, Sri Lanka clinched the championship title by defeating Pakistan in the 20-over format. Over the past 3-4 years, the Atlans have also displayed strong performance and have shown their capabilities to compete against some of the best teams.
The clash between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka presents an intriguing battle, particularly between batting prowess and bowling strength. As we look ahead to the upcoming Asia Cup, it will be interesting to observe how both teams assert their dominance in the mega cricket carnival.
Afghanistan vs. Sri Lanka head-to-head Record
In the 10 ODIs played between the two teams, Sri Lanka dominated the contest, securing six wins, while Afghanistan won only three games, and one match ended with no result. In the Asia Cup, they have faced each other twice, with each team winning one match.
| Matches | AFG Win | SL Win | Tie | No Result |
| 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
Top Performers Between Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka
In the ODIs played between these two Asian sides, Ibrahim Zadran has scored the most runs with 452 runs in 6 matches, while his teammate Rahmat Shah has scored 304 runs in 8 games. From the Sri Lankan side, Pathum Nissanka has scored the most runs with 255 runs in 6 matches. In the bowling department, Wanindu Hasaranga has picked up the most wickets with 11 wickets in 5 matches, followed by Thisara Perera, who has taken 10 wickets in 4 matches for Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, from the Afghan camp, Mohammad Nabi has scalped 11 wickets in 10 matches.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Last Results
The two Asian teams last met on June 7, 2023, in Hambantota, where Sri Lanka defeated Afghanistan by a significant margin of nine wickets. The visiting Afghan team batted first but got folded for a paltry total of 116 runs in 22.2 overs. Dushmantha Chameera stood out with an impressive performance, taking a four-wicket haul (4/63) from his nine-over spell, while Wanindu Hasaranga also claimed a three-wicket haul (3/7) from his 4.2 overs of leg spin.
In response to Afghanistan‘s total, Sri Lanka got off to a flier with an 84-run opening partnership. Opener Dimuth Karunaratne scored 56 runs off 45 balls, including seven fours. His partner, Pathum Nissanka, played aggressively, scoring 51 runs off 34 balls, which featured eight fours and two sixes, respectively. As a result, their partnership paved the way for the hosts to secure a convincing victory by nine wickets.
Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan in All-time Results
| Tournament | Venue | Winner | Margin |
| 2014 Asia Cup | Mirpur | Sri Lanka | 129 Runs |
| 2015 World Cup | Dunedin | Sri Lanka | 4 Wickets |
| 2018 Asia Cup | Abu Dhabi | Afghanistan | 91 Runs |
| 2019 World Cup | Cardiff | Sri Lanka | 34 Runs |
| 2022 ODI Series | Pallekele | Afghanistan | 60 Runs |
| 2022 ODI Series | Pallekele | No Result | NR |
| 2022 ODI Series | Pallekele | Sri Lanka | 4 Wickets |
| 2023 ODI Series | Hambantota | Afghanistan | 6 Wickets |
| 2023 ODI Series | Hambantota | Sri Lanka | 132 Runs |
| 2023 ODI Series | Hambantota | Sri Lanka | 9 Wickets |
*Last updated on 27 August 2023