The first match of the T20 World Cup 2022 qualifying round saw a huge upset as Namibia defeated the Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka on October 16, 2022, in Geelong.
Dasun Shanaka, the Lankan captain won the toss and chose to bowl first. Jan Frylinck scored 44 runs, while JJ Smit smoked 31* in just 16 balls. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton made 20 and Stephen Baard made 26 runs as Namibia posted 163/7 in 20 overs. Pramod Madushan picked two wickets for Sri Lanka.
In reply, Namibia bowlers kept the pressure on Sri Lankan batters as they lost their top four for relatively low individual scores. Nissanka (9), Mendis (6), and Gunathilaka (0) were dismissed early. Captain Shanaka (29) and Bhanuka Rajapaksa (20) were the only ones to pass the 20-run mark. Maheesh Theekshana made 11* to take Sri Lanka past the 100-run mark as they were bowled out for 108 runs.
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Namibia won the match by 55 runs with Frylinck contributing two wickets as well, while experienced David Wiese (2/16) and Bernard Scholtz (2/18) were the stand-out bowlers.
This upset caused a massive uproar on social media and even cricket experts were left stunned at the outcome of this opening encounter of the T20 World cup 2022 and lauded Namibia for their performance.
Here is how they reacted:
