Afghanistan’s Asia Cup 2022 campaign got off to a perfect start as they crushed Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the tournament opener at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday (August 27).

Opting to bowl first, Afghanistan bundled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 105 in 19.4 overs, with Fazalhaq Farooqi (3-11), skipper Mohammad Nabi (2-14) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2-24) doing the bulk of the damage with the ball.

In reply, Afghanistan rode on Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 83-run opening stand in just six overs to overhaul the target with 59 deliveries to spare.

After the game, Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi lauded his troops, saying that the players have gained a lot of confidence after such a performance.

“The boys played really well, especially the fast bowlers. When we decided to bowl first, they used the pitch so well. We were just discussing to hit the right lines, and if we get a bit of swing it will be of use for us. We have a lot of confidence after such a game, hopefully we can do well next game as well,” Nabi said in the post-match presentation.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka expressed his disappointment before adding that they can bounce back in the next game.

“There are two ways to think about the toss, it would have been a bit easier if we were bowling first with two youngsters playing for the first time. There was too much grass, there wasn’t too much in it for the spinners but still our world-class spinners should have done better. I think in T20 cricket anything can happen, we can bounce back in the next game,” Shanaka said.

While Afghanistan will now face Bangladesh on Tuesday (August 30), Sri Lanka will also take on the Bangladesh side in their next game on Thursday (September 1).