The Asia Cup 2022 starts with Srilanka vs Afghanistan, and even though it might come as a surprise to you, the match between the two teams is going to be head-on. 

Afghanistan plays weaker nations than the other team more often than not, although, since 2020, they have also won a T20I series against Ireland, two against Zimbabwe, and one against Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka, in contrast, has only triumphed just one T20I series since 2020. This was directed towards India. Wow, that's impressive. Until you recall that this was the series where an already depleted India team—their Test side was on tour elsewhere, playing England—thrashed Sri Lanka in the opening game, before no fewer than seven of their players contracted Covid-19 and they were unable to field even an XI, packing the side out with bowlers, including net bowlers.

Overall, Sri Lanka might be a team on the rise. On the test front, they are cooking up something. Their recent ODI performance hasn't been too bad. however in T20Is? Even though the team now includes several stars, there are still no reliable results. In the last 11 T20I matches they have played, they have only won two.

It's possible that Afghanistan will even have the superior attack without Dushmantha Chameera, who is out of the competition due to a calf injury. The skill sets that Rashid Khan and Wanindu Hasaranga bring to the game are similar. Hasaranga has a recent form, however, Rashid has held the upper hand for longer. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Maheesh Theekshana nearly cancel each other out. Although neither squad possesses a very strong seam attack, Afghanistan does have Naveen-ul-Haq, who just finished a respectable series against Ireland.

Where Sri Lanka would believe they excel over the opponents is in their batting. Kusal Mendis is in top form across all platforms. During the World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last year, Charith Asalanka excelled. This year, Najibullah Zadran and Hazratullah Zazai have done well for Afghanistan. Can they continue against credible spin?

Afghanistan has another chance to demonstrate why it should face more difficult opposition. And Sri Lanka must demonstrate that despite their difficulties against the best teams, they are still capable of defeating the teams they have always dominated.

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