How the mighty have fallen is how one would describe Sri Lanka’s early exit from the Asia Cup in UAE. With India yet to play their opening fixture, the five-time champions of the tournament and the 1996 World Cup winners were knocked out from the Asia Cup. The final nail in the coffin was delivered on Monday when Afghanistan beat them by 91 runs. Earlier, Sri Lanka had collapsed miserably and tamely to Bangladesh.
Having won the toss, Afghanistan opted to bat and were dismissed for 249 runs on a slow surface. Despite stroke-making proving to be a task, Rahmat Shah top-scored for the war torn nation with 72 runs from 90 balls. With the ball, Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera picked up a fifer to give some semblence of respect. In reply, however, Sri Lanka’s disarray with the bat was highlighted once again. The islanders were dismissed for mere 158 runs in 41.2 overs.
“Will Afghanistan beating Sri Lanka be called an upset? #SLvAFG #AsiaCup @StarSportsIndia” wrote Aakash Chopra.
“Outstanding performance by @ACBofficials to defeat Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup and qualify for the Super 4. The more they play, the better they keep getting. Many congratulations to the Afghan boys” wrote VVS Laxman.
