"Asian champions in the mud" - Fans troll Sri Lanka for being thumped by Namibia in T20 World Cup 2022 opener

Asia Cup 2022 champions Sri Lanka have been handed a shock defeat by Namibia in the first match of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. Chasing a target of 164, the Lankans were bowled out for just 108 as an emotional Namibian team celebrated arguably the most famous day in their cricketing history.

Some lower-order rearguard action from Jan Frylinck and JJ Smit helped Namibia reach a respectable total of 163/7, which still looked below par. However, the Namibian bowlers were right on top of Sri Lanka from the get-go and even their deep fielding was excellent.

Fans on Twitter hailed Namibia for their incredible start to the T20 World Cup 2022. However, some also trolled the Asia Cup champions for faltering in their very first hurdle. Here are some of the reactions:

Namibia 🇳🇦 has told the cricketing world today… “Nam” yaad rakhna! 👏🏻

Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus was emotional while speaking to the players after a terrific win against Sri Lanka. https://t.co/1HpBBKfvUo

It's been that kind of a day for Sri Lanka fans. https://t.co/My9cOK9T10

Upset in the first game lessgooo, Asian champions in the mud ☕

What if Srilanka loses one more match they are out of World T20 in first round 😂😂😂

And we lost to this SL i can't believe yaar..

I miss the game and of course, the upset takes place. Incredible Namibia! They've thrown the group wide open from the word go! #SLvNAM

Namibia have beaten Asia Cup winners, Sri Lanka by 55 runs. ICC, stop with these silly extra qualifying groups and just have a 16 team World Cup.
#T20WorldCup2022

Take a bow Namibia 🙌🏽👏🏽 #SLvsNAM #T20WorldCup https://t.co/y8jySVWghZ

2007 T20 WC: Zim beat Aus
2009 T20 WC: Neth beat Eng
2014 T20 WC: HK beat Ban
Neth beat Eng
2016 T20 WC: Afg beat WI
2022 T20 WC: Nam beat SL
Cricket!
#T20WorldCup2022

NRR talks in the comm box in the first game of the tournament. What a sport lmao. Love it.

Cricket in UAE is joke!! Koi bhi kuch bhi jeet jata, Earlier CSK now Sri Lanka

Belt treatment to the Sri Lanka team tonight from Chris Silverwood https://t.co/xNTvzbftsJ

The joy on the faces of Namibian players - they've earned their place in this World Cup and played like champions in the opening game. https://t.co/M7qVhjWQU2

Asia cup winner losing against Namibia. Cricket is a goated sport.

As India doesn't win titles anymore, ICC tournaments for me is just hoping for upsets game after game.

Sri Lanka never really looked in total control of their chase

Sri Lanka did opt to bowl first and might have hoped that the conditions could get better for batting. But the Namibian bowlers were right on the money from ball one. They didn't let the openers get off to a flying start and also picked up crucial wickets in the powerplay.

Ben Shikongo's double-strike really put the Lankans on the back-foot and they hoped that the likes of Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Dasun Shanaka would rescue them. But that wasn't to be as both players had to depart with six overs still left in the chase.

It was then just a matter of time as the tail tried to minimize the margin of the defeat as much as possible. However, the 55-run defeat has damaged their net run rate and also means that the remaining two games might become virtual knockouts for them.

While Namibia will back themselves to win their remaining two games and qualify for the Super 12, the Asian champions will need some real inspiration to recover from this defeat.