Asia Cup, SL vs AFG: Afghanistan 106 for 2 (Gurbaz 40*, Zazai 37, Hasaranga 1-19) beat Sri Lanka 105 full scale (Rajapaksa 38, Farooqi 3-11, Nabi 2-14) by 8 wickets

An exhilarating all-round performance saw Afghanistan crush Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the first round of the 2022 Asia Cup. The bowlers set the foundation, restricting Sri Lanka to 5 for 3, with Fazalhaq Farooqi responsible for most part of the carnage. Notwithstanding a brief resurgence in the middle thanks to a 44-run stand between Danushka Gunathilaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Afghanistan struck back hard, going through the lower order.

Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb ur Rehman and Mohammad Nabi were all among the wickets, and despite late resistance from Chamika Karunaratne, the 105 Sri Lanka managed was woefully insufficient. It took the Afghan openers simply 10.1 overs to bring it down; Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai piled up 83 runs in the Powerplay itself, effectively finishing the game as a contest right there.

The first three overs

There was chaos and debate to kick off the Asia Cup, however when the obscurity of the initial three overs lifted, Afghanistan had a bad habit like grasp on the game. Farooqi struck twice in two balls in the first over to eliminate Kusal Mendis and Charith Asalanka, yet it was Pathum Nissanka’s wicket that caused a commotion. The umpire considered the player to have scratched off to the keeper, just for Sri Lanka to promptly review. In a confusing bit of third umpiring, the on-field umpire was encouraged to stand by his decision regardless of UltraEdge showing almost no deviation. It caused frustration among the Sri Lanka camp, yet Afghanistan had the rub of the green. Over the course of the following three hours. They made the most of it.

Rajapaksa revival

There was the briefest promise of hope for Sri Lanka soon after that destructive start that saw them lose three early wickets. It came as a tasteful little stand between Gunathilaka and Rajapaksa. Rajapaksa lifted Naveen ul Haq over the mid-off boundary for a glorious six to kickstart that section of play, with his partner joining in later in the over. The real carnage took place in the last Powerplay over that saw the pair loot four boundaries in an over that cost 20 to undo some of the damage that had happened from the beginning. Yet, when Gunathilaka sent a reverse sweep straight down deep cover’s throat, things started to unravel for Sri Lanka again. Rajapaksa soldiered on briefly, however was eventually finished by some shocking running that saw two wickets fall in that fashion in two balls.

Karunaratne’s resistance

It was probably much too late by the 15th over, yet Karunaratne didn’t know that. Farming the strike competently for the last five overs, he almost independently added 30 to the last partnership to guarantee Sri Lanka recuperated from 75 for 9 to post a three-figure total. It was a fascinating time of play in numerous ways, with pretty much every delivery struck to a deep fielder and winding up as a dot ball. There were occasions where the running could have been more keen, but after two run-outs that must be portrayed as brain freezes, Karunaratne wasn’t taking any risks.

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Gurbazball?

A low-scoring game in the UAE against Sri Lanka can potentially become a horrid second-innings scrap, yet Gurbaz wasn’t having any of it. In a whirlwind of a cameo, he would pound 40 off 18 balls to assist Afghanistan with piling up 83 in the Powerplay, crushing the back of the chase before Sri Lanka’s spinners might really get into their work. Matheesha Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana were singled out for discipline, tonked for 16 and 21 respectively in a no-holds barred display of pure-power.