"Asian champions in the mud" - Fans troll Sri Lanka for being thumped by Namibia in T20 World Cup 2022 opener

Asia Cup 2022 champions Sri Lanka have been handed a shock defeat by Namibia in the first match of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. Chasing a target of 164, the Lankans were bowled out for just 108 as an emotional Namibian team celebrated arguably the most famous day in their cricketing history.

Some lower-order rearguard action from Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit helped Namibia reach a respectable total of 163/7, which still looked below par. However, the Namibian bowlers were right on top of Sri Lanka from the get-go and even their deep fielding was excellent.

Fans on Twitter hailed Namibia for their incredible start to the T20 World Cup 2022. However, some also trolled the Asia Cup champions for faltering in their very first hurdle. Here are some of the reactions:

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Sri Lanka never really looked in total control of their chase

Sri Lanka did opt to bowl first and might have hoped that the conditions could get better for batting. But the Namibian bowlers were right on the money from ball one. They didn't let the openers get off to a flying start and also picked up crucial wickets in the powerplay.

Ben Shikongo's double-strike really put the Lankans on the back-foot and they hoped that the likes of Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanaka would rescue them. But that wasn't to be as both players had to depart with six overs still left in the chase.

It was then just a matter of time as the tail tried to minimize the margin of the defeat as much as possible. However, the 55-run defeat has damaged their net run rate and also means that the remaining two games might become virtual knockouts for them.

While Namibia will back themselves to win their remaining two games and qualify for the Super 12, the Asian champions will need some real inspiration to recover from this defeat.