Sri Lanka recovered from a dramatic batting collapse to knock over Afghanistan for 152 and seal a 34-run win for its first victory at the ICC World Cup on Tuesday, 5 June.
Afghanistan has two defeats from two matches, after a loss to Australia on 1 June.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Afghanistan captain, Gulbadin Naib said that the team did not start well and indicated it is difficult to play against teams like Sri Lanka who have experience playing in England and New Zealand.
"Yes, when you face these kind of teams, they're experienced teams. They play a lot of cricket especially in England, New Zealand so they face these kind of wickets a lot. So we missed something, we didn't start well,” he said.
‘Needed This Win Badly’: Sri Lanka Coach
Meanwhile, Lankan coach, Chandika Hathurusinga said that the team has not gotten "much success lately," adding they badly needed to win this game.
"This gives us a lot of confidence because we really needed a win. We haven't got much success lately. I'm sure you will see a better team, better approach from our team after this win. We need this win badly," he said.
Hathurusinga further said that the two pitches they got in Cardiff “are not ideal for ODI cricket.”
“If you look at all the other venues, all the wickets have looked a little more brown, or whiter than this one. These were two green wickets. Unfortunately we lost the toss and had to bat first.”Chandika Hathurusinga
"As I said, once you get in, it's easier to bat on but starting is a bit hard. So hopefully we get better pitches for our batters to start," he added.
On Tuesday, Nuwan Pradeep (4/34) and Lasith Malinga (3/39) rose to the occasion, helping Sri Lanka defend a revised meagre 187-run target in the given 41 overs.
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