SL vs AFG Review: Afghanistan hands Sri Lanka a thumping defeat
Afghanistan won by 8 wickets against Sri Lanka in the first match of the Asia Cup 2022 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on August 27, Saturday. It was a dominant all-round performance from the Afghanis, chasing a meagre target of 106 after a top display of bowling in the first innings.
It was Afghanistan who won the toss and put Sri Lanka to bat first and ensured that they pushed Sri Lanka on the backfoot straight away, as they losing three wickets in the first two overs for only 5 runs. Bhanuka Rajapaksa made a fair contribution in the middle, scoring 38 runs off 29 balls, complemented by Chamika Karunaratne, who scored a 31 off 38, but those efforts were not enough to take Sri Lanka to take to a winning total.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 105 in 19.4 overs, and the pick of the Afghanistan bowlers was Fazalhaq Farooqi, who bagged three wickets, and skipper Mohammad Nabi, who picked up two wickets. In their chase, Afghanistan were off to a flyer, scoring 83 runs without losing a wicket in the powerplay as opener Rahmanullh Gurbaz went berserk, scoring 40 runs off 18 balls. Afghanistan finished the chase in merely 10.1 overs to run home with a net run rate boosting win.
Top Performers of the match
Fazalhaq Farooqi
The left-arm pacer Farooqi caused the early damage, scalping the key wickets of Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka in the first over. He also got the important wicket of Karunaratne later on, and finished with figures of three wickets for 11 runs in 3.4 overs with one maiden. The start he provided early on in the game set the foundation for his side for the rest of the game as Sri Lankans never recovered from their early setback.
Mohammad Nabi
It was a captain’s performance from Nabi, who got the wickets of his opposite number Dasun Shanaka for a golden duck and Matheesh Pathirana late in the innings. He was also involved in the run-out that got the side the all-important wicket of Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the 13th over. He finished with figures of 2/14 runs in four overs.
What’s next for both sides?
Afghanistan will face Bangladesh on August 30, while Sri Lanka will face the same opponent on September 1.
