ESPN : Angelo Mathews chose to bat on a Mirpur surface he expected to slow down as the game progressed, but Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi was equally satisfied with that outcome, saying he would have bowled first. Sri Lanka were seeking to confirm their place in the final with a win in this match. Having beaten Bangladesh on Saturday, Afghanistan were still in the hunt as well. Sachithra Senanayake flew back to Sri Lanka to be with his family, after his wife gave birth to their first child. Seam bowler Suranga Lakmal came into the side in his stead. Afghanistan made two changes to their XI. Right-arm seamer Dawlat Zadran replaced Hamid Hassa, while the opener Noor Ali Zadran returned to the side in place of Karim Sadiq. The weather was expected to remain good for the duration of the match. Afghanistan: 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Noor Ali Zadran, 3 Asghar Stanikzai, 4 Nawroz Mangal, 5 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 6 Samiullah Shenwari, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Mirwais Ashraf, 9 Hamza Hotak, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Shapoor Zadran Sri Lanka: 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Dinesh Chandimal, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Chaturanga de Silva, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Lasith Malinga, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Suranga Lakmal
