ANI
Sharjah
Pakistan produced a superb all-round display to beat Sri Lanka in the second match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at Sharjah on Thursday, with skipper Fatima Sana leading from the front.
Sana’s side defied the form book to beat the Asian Cup Champions by 31 runs, posting 116 in the first innings and then bowling superbly to restrict Sri Lanka to 85/9.
Pakistan’s captain Sana (2/10) made the crucial early breakthrough to remove Sri Lanka opener Chamari Athapathu and give hope that her side could successfully defend a relatively modest first-innings total.
And her fellow bowlers kept things impressively tight, denying Sri Lanka boundaries and picking up frequent wickets as the scoring rate soared.
Only opener Vishmi Gunaratne (20 from 34 with one four) and Nilakshika Silva (22 from 25) reached double figures as Sri Lanka’s chase petered out, finishing on 85/9, still 31 runs shy of their target. Sadia Iqbal (3/17) was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan.
It was a game where ball largely dominated, with Sri Lanka’s bowlers also keeping Pakistan in check in the first innings, taking frequent wickets to restrict a batting lineup that proved unexpectedly fluid, with big-hitting skipper Sana top-scoring with 30 from 20 balls down the order - runs that proved match-winning in the final shake-up.
Three bowlers stood out, with Athapaththu almost bagging a hat-trick and finishing with figures of 3/18, with Udeshika Prabodhani and Sugandika Kumari also taking three wickets - 3/19 and 3/20 respectively. But they were ultimately outshone on the day by Pakistan’s attack.
Pakistan’s new captain Fatima Sana enjoyed an initial positive in her first moment in charge of the team at a major tournament, winning the toss and opting to bat first in Sharjah. But Sri Lanka’s bowlers kept Pakistan in check in the first innings, taking frequent wickets to restrict a batting order that proved unexpectedly fluid.
ScorescColor:> Pakistan 116 (Sana 30, Dar 23, Athapaththu 3-18, Sugandika 3-19, Prabodhani 3-20) beat Sri Lanka 85 for 9 (Silva 22, Iqbal 3-17) by 31 runs.
