After being invited to bat first, Sri Lanka got off to a horror start, losing two wickets in the very first over to Fazalhaq Farooqi. The 21-year-old pacer then backed it up by bowling a maiden in his second over.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa (38) and Danushka Gunathilaka (17) tried to rebuild the innings in the middle order after the top order collapsed meekly.
However, it was a short-lived effort, as spinners Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/24) and Mohammad Nabi (2/14) spun a web in the middle overs and successfully restricted the opposition’s batting line-up. Due to a collective bowling effort, Afghanistan bundled out the island nation for 105 in 19.4 overs.
In a paltry chase, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (40 in 18 balls) and Hazratullah Zazai (37*) gave their side a blazing start with a bludgeoning 83-run opening stand in just 6.1 overs. They eventually reached 106/2 in 10.1 overs and won the match comprehensively.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka reflected on his team’s disappointing outing and said:
He continued:
Asia Cup 2022: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan memes
Fans on social media enjoyed the one-sided contest between Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on Saturday. They expressed the same through some engaging memes on social media.
Here is a collection of the best memes related to the game:
Team India will square off against their arch-rivals Pakistan in the second game of the Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai on Sunday (August 28).
Will Afghanistan reach the finals of the Asia Cup for the first time this year? Sound off in the comments section.
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