It was an absolute clinical performance by Afghanistan against Sri Lanka in the opening game of Asia Cup 2022. Sri Lanka had no answer to the brilliance of the Afghans.
Although there was a hint of controversy in the decision to dismiss Pathum Nissanka, there was no denying the fact of the dominant performance of Nabi and co.
With this huge win, Afghanistan has already made a huge step toward the next round.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka are in deep trouble now. With that, Bangladesh, too, faces the same difficulties. The game of Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka is the potential knock-out now.
Thanks to this win, Afghanistan gained full points and gathered a gigantic run rate of +5.176. On the other hand, Sri Lanka are on its negative side.
Now, the next match in this group is Bangladesh vs Afghanistan. With this form, Afghanistan will start as a favourite. Also, Bangladesh’s form doesn’t spread any optimistic vibe.
If Afghanistan win, they will go through. If they don’t, they are still favourites to go through courtesy of their positive NRR.
For Bangladesh, things are tricky. Suppose they win, then good for them, and they can be relieved against Sri Lanka as it is quite difficult for the lions to overcome the NRR deficit. Still, Sri Lanka usually store their best for such moments.
If the Tigers lose tomorrow, then there is no alternative to winning against Sri Lanka. Given the recent form of Bangladesh, there is not much room for optimism.
For Sri Lanka, they have only one option left. So, they’ll give their all to it.
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