Afghanistan started the tournament off to a flying start winning by 8 wickets versus Sri Lanka in the opening game of Asia Cup.
Afghanistan bundled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 105 after opting to bowl in a Group B Asia Cup match on Saturday. Bhanuka Rajapaksa top-scored for Sri Lanka with a 29-ball 38, while Chamika Karunaratne made 31.
Fazalhaq Farooqi (3/11), Mohammad Nabi (2/14) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/24) shared seven wickets among them for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan 106 for 2 (Gurbaz 40*, Zazai 37, Hasaranga 1-19) beat Sri Lanka 105 all out (Rajapaksa 38, Farooqi 3-11, Nabi 2-14) by 8 wickets
A thrilling all-round performance from Afghanistan players got them the first victory in the first game of the 2022 Asia Cup.
The bowlers set the foundation, reducing Sri Lanka to 5 for 3, with Fazalhaq Farooqi responsible for most of the carnage.
Despite a brief resurgence in the middle thanks to a 44-run stand between Danushka Gunathilaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Afghanistan struck back hard, running 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 inadequate.
It took the Afghan openers just 10.1 overs to take it down; Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai racked up 83 runs in the Powerplay itself effectively ending the game as a contest right there.
