T20 World Cup 2022: Kusal Mendis takes blinder to kick-off Sri Lanka's campaign against Namibia

Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis grabbed a sensational catch against Namibia in the first match of the T20 World Cup 2022. Both teams are facing each other in their tournament opener being played at the Simonds Stadium in Geelong on October 16 (Sunday).

Earlier in the match, Sri Lanka's skipper Dasun Shanaka won the toss and had no hesitation in bowling first. The Sri Lanka bowlers were right on the money as they picked up crucial breakthroughs throughout the innings, but Namibia batters managed to put up 163 runs on the board.

Kusal Mendis completes outstanding catch

Speaking about the catch, it was the fifth over of Namibia's innings when batter Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton tried to hit a shot on the off-side off bowling all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne, but the ball hit the bat and went towards the wicketkeeper, where Mendis dived and took an amazing catch with one hand. The batter was also in utter shock to see Mendis complete a sensational catch. 

The video of the same was uploaded on the official Instagram account of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

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Meanwhile, Namibia after suffering some early joltsrecovered well and will need to bowl very well if they want to challenge the strong batting line-up of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan batters have performed well lately. 

The likes of Kusal Mendis,  Pathum Nissanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, and the skipper Shanaka will play a key for the side in the ongoing competition. Defeating all the odds, Sri Lanka recently managed to win the T20 Asia Cup 2022 and they will want to continue their good performance in the all-important World Cup as well. 

After playing against Namibia, Sri Lanka will take on UAE in their next encounter of the T20 World Cup. The match will be played on October 18 (Tuesday) at the Simonds Stadium in Geelong.