Afghanistan have started off their Asia Cup 2022 campaign with a thumping win over Sri Lanka, on Saturday, in Dubai. Mohammad Nabi’s team registered an emphatic 8-wicket victory over Dasun Shanaka’s side and vindicated everyone’s belief that Afghanistan are no more the underdogs.
Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi won the toss and elected to bowl first. The match went as perfectly to a script Nabi would have imagined.
Fazalhaq Farooqi takes 3 wickets to bag the Player of the Match award
Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi nipped out Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka – both lbw – right in the first over only.
Afghanistan’s happiness was doubled when, from the other end, right-arm pacer Naveen-ul-Haq, in the second over, had Pathum Nissanka edging to the wicket-keeper after the batter’s failed attempted ambitious slog.
Upon review from Nissanka, although the Ultraedge didn’t show anything when the ball was in line the bat, there was a little murmur in the frame after the ball had passed the bat. The third umpire gave it out and it has now become a controversy.
Even ignoring that dubious caught behind decision against Nissanka, Sri Lanka had a terrible day with the bat, and have only themselves to blame: atrocious batting mixed with some bizarre running between the wicket meant that they were bundled out for 105 in 19.4 overs.
Farooqi took 3 wickets for only 11 runs and also bowled a maiden while Mujeeb and Nabi bagged a brace each; there was some harakiri in the middle as well as two Lankan batters were run out. Left-hand batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa was their top-scorer with 38 runs and nobody else could score more than 20.
Any little hope of a Sri Lankan comeback were vanished out right in the start by Afghanistan openers, Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the pair putting up a stunning stand of 83 runs in the six powerplay overs. Gurbaz was dismissed for 40 runs off 18 balls while Zazai remained not out on 37 off 28 balls to see off the chase in only 10.1 overs!
This has effectively sealed Afghanistan’s place in the Super 4 as their net run rate now is an astonishing high of +5.176; on the other hand, Sri Lanka not only have to beat Bangladesh but also beat them heavily to mitigate some of their poor net run rate drop today.
Wasim Jaffer’s tweet on the Afghanistan cricket team goes viral
Former India opener and a renowned social media personality, Wasim Jaffer, took to Twitter to hail the Afghanistan team’s clinical performance today.
“This is not just a win, this is a statement! Impressive stuff from @ACBofficials,” Jaffer tweeted.
Here, check out Jaffer’s special tweet for the Afghanistan team:
This is not just a win, this is a statement! Impressive stuff from @ACBofficials
#AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/LAG9ewyn11
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) August 27, 2022
