Sri Lanka Vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI: Hambantota Cricket Stadium Pitch Report, Weather Forecast & Record

Dasun Shanaka’s men suffered a 6-wicket loss to Hashmatullah Shahidi’s Afghanistan in the first ODI at the same venue in Hambantota on Friday (June 2). Charith Asalanka’s 91 helped the hosts set a target of 269. Fazalhaq Farooqui and Fareed Ahmed took two wickets each for Afghanistan.

In response, Ibrahim Zadran (98 off 98 balls) and Rahmat Shah (55 off 80 balls) shared a 146-run stand as the visitors went on to complete the run chase with 19 balls to spare. For Sri Lanka, Kasun Rajitha claimed two wickets and debutant Matheesha Pathirana also took a wicket.

Sri Lanka will prepare for the World Cup qualifiers scheduled for later this month, while Afghanistan will look to get their squad ready for the show-piece event, which is set to take place in India in October-November window.

Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will clash for the second time at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, where the hosts don’t possess a good record, having won and lost 9 matches each so far with one match ending in No Result.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium has hosted 22 ODI matches so far with most recent being on Friday (June 2), when Sri Lanka played hosts to Afghanistan. The venue will also host the third and final ODI on Wednesday (June 7).

Here is a look at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium Stats, Record, Pitch Report and Hambantota Weather Forecast ahead of Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan 2nd ODI:

Hambantota Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium Info, Pitch & Weather Report

Seating Capacity: 35,000

Number of matches hosted: 22 ODIs and 7 T20Is

Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium Pitch Report

The wicket used in the first match saw more than 500 runs scored across two innings. While the quick bowlers found early assistance, the wicket got easier to bat as the match progressed in both the innings.

The Afghanistan spinners found more success than the Sri Lankan tweakers in the first ODI. But the experienced duo of Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga did not feature for the hosts. So the duo will very likely return to the playing 11 and so will Rashid Khan for the visitors.

In the 19 One Day International matches completed at the venue, the team chasing and batting first had almost identical success till the latest result gave the team batting second the edge. The wicket for the second ODI will also be similar.

Hambantota Weather Forecast for Sunday, June 4

As per AccuWeather, there is prediction for showers on the day before the second ODI. However, there is no threat of rain on the match day. So, expect an uninterrupted match as the forecast says Sunday (June 4) will be a mostly cloudy and windy day with max temperature of 33^o C.