Namibia stunned the former champions Sri Lanka on the opening day of the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
Sri Lanka’s ICC 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup campaign got off to a disastrous start as the former champions fell to a 55-round loss to unlucky Namibia in Geelong.
A surprise Asian Cup winner, Sri Lanka had been hoping to make a statement against the African team soon in front of thousands of expectant supporters on an afternoon of sunbathing at Kardinia Park on Sunday.
Instead, Namibia had their best international win yet a year after entering the Super 12 group at the final T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Left-handed Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit (31*) lifted Namibia to 163-7 with a score of 69 games Saturday after being invited to hit the first stroke.
Sri Lanka was then bowled over 108 in 19 rounds, with David Wiese, Frylinck, Bernard Scholtz and Ben Shikongo each winning two free kicks in the first of the team’s opening three games.
What a win for Namibia 🇳🇦 and the start of the ICC Men’s T20 World Championship!! # T20WorldCup #SLvNAM
– Mpumelelo Mbangwa (@mmbangwa) October 16, 2022
“It was a historic day for us. The opening day is quite special but we want to start here and qualify for the Super 12 round. We also understand the bigger picture,” Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus said after the stunning win.
Sri Lanka fell to 21 for three and their chase ended as captain Dasun Shanaka fell to 29, his team still having 76 short runs with three rackets in hand.
“Once we lose three points in a power game, we are usually out of the game,” said Shanaka. “The plans should be simple, we don’t need to do anything special. We have a good team, it’s about the process. “
Sri Lanka will have to pick itself without the services of left-handed fast pitcher Dilshan Madushanka, who was knocked out of the tournament with a quadriceps tear in a major hit.
Things move fast in T20: a few hours ago, as the first innings of this game were underway, Pat Cummins was asked about favorite contenders for the tournament and put Sri Lanka in it post-war. won at the Asian Cup# T20WorldCup
– Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) October 16, 2022
