SURIYAWEWA: Sri Lanka were put in to bat by Afghanistan in the first one-day international on Friday, with the hosts giving ODI debuts to Chennai Super Kings IPL sensation Matheesha Pathirana and his fellow bowler Dushan Hemantha.
Pathirana, a 20-year-old fast bowler with a round arm action, has featured in one Twenty20 international for Sri Lanka.
Leg-spinner Hemantha is taking the place of Wanindu Hasaranga, ruled out with a foot injury.
Afghanistan are without star bowler Rashid Khan, who is nursing a lower-back injury. He is expected to be fit only for the final ODI.
Opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne was recalled to the ODI side after more than two years.
Sri Lanka will use the series as preparation for World Cup qualifiers later this month in Zimbabwe.
Afghanistan are already through to the sport’s showpiece event later this year in India and will be testing their combinations.
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The remaining two matches will be played on June 4 and 7 at Hambantota in Sri Lanka’s south, which has not hosted an international match since February 2020.
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran.
Sri Lanka squad: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha and Dushan Hemantha.
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