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Afghanistan began their journey in the Asia Cup 2022 with a resounding 8-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the tournament's opening match on August 27 (Saturday) in Dubai. Left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi starred for the Afghanistan side by setting up the game in the first innings with a fiery spell.
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:
"I think our batters should bat well on any kind of wicket in the tournament. It would have been a lot easier bowling first. We had two youngsters on debut."
He continued:
"There was a bit of grass cover on the wicket and it wasn't helpful for them (spinners) but they are two world-class spinners (Hasaranga and Theekshana). In T20 cricket such things happen. If we can bounce back and win the next game hopefully we can qualify for the Super Four."
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.
