Namibia vs. Sri Lanka: Namibia defeated Sri Lanka handily by 55 runs in the World T20 2022 opening match. The team captained by Gerhard Erasmus won the game by relying on some exceptional batting displays that were followed by a potent bowling effort. Namibia has advanced significantly with this victory, increasing their likelihood of being among the top two teams in their group.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka will be worried after suffering a surprise loss in the first game and will need to turn things around with strong performances in the remaining matches in order to make the Super 12s.
Dasun Shanaka, the captain of Sri Lanka, chose to field first after winning the toss. As they removed both of the openers within the first three overs, the Sri Lankan bowlers did not demonstrate that their skipper made the incorrect choice. With Nambia floundering at 35/3, a dangerous-looking Loftie-Eaton was also ejected on the powerplay for 20.
Namibia vs Sri Lanka
After that, Stephen Baard and captain Gerrard Erasmus worked together for a run per ball, 41-run partnership. Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed Erasmus for 20 just as the team was about to shift gears. A few overs later, Pramod Madushan sent the Board back to the pavilion as well, with Namibia having sent half of their team home for 91.
At the conclusion of 15 overs, Namibia was 6 down for 93. The batting duo of JJ Smit and Jan Frylink decided to take matters into their own hands at this point. To flip the tide in favour of Namibia, the pair showed off some exceptional huge hitting. Namibia managed to score 68 runs in the final 5 overs and arrive at 163/6 after 20 overs thanks to some spectacular closing moves from these hitters.
Due to unexpected early wicket losses, Sri Lanka’s run chase didn’t get off to a strong start. Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis were returned early as an opening pair.
Since Sri Lanka was three down in the powerplay when Danushkha Gunathilaka was ejected for a golden duck, they were put under a great deal of strain. As soon as the squad reached 40, Dhananjay De Silva was returned for 12, which made the situation worse for Sri Lanka.