Sri Lanka 115 for six (Samarawickrama 48*, Marufa 3-21) beat Bangladesh 114 (Praboda 3-21, Mostary 34) by 4 wickets
Sri Lanka discovered themselves behind the required run charge for a lot of the chase after dropping their high order contained in the powerplay and slipping to 5 down by the tenth over. However a resolute Samarawickrama introduced Sri Lanka again into the competition by absorbing the strain all through the center overs earlier than touchdown the ultimate punches to seal the win. This was Sri Lanka’s seventh consecutive win over Bangladesh.
Praboda strangles Bangladesh
This was solely the sixth worldwide match the 17-year-old left-arm spinner had performed after making her debut towards Pakistan in a three-match T20I sequence final month, and he or she doubled her tally of wickets on Sunday.
As Bangladesh appeared to rebuild after Juairiya Ferdous fell within the fifth over, Praboda struck in her first over, the seventh of the match, to ship the dangerous-looking Dilara Akter again to the hut two balls after being hit for a boundary by her. Dilara made a run-a-ball 26 after adjusting to the gradual floor. She made her attacking intent recognized within the third over when she dispatched three consecutive balls from Sri Lanka pacer Chethana Vimukthi for boundaries.
Praboda and the opposite Sri Lankan spinners bowled with nice self-discipline and used their variations with nice guile to place a stranglehold on the Bangladesh batters, who managed simply 114 for 8.
With Sobhana Mostary (34 off 41) and Shorna Akter (9 off 14) stretching their regular 41-run stand into the dying overs, the Bangladesh dugout will need to have anticipated a a lot larger complete than what they ultimately managed. Their hopes had been bulldozed by Praboda in her final over as she accounted for each batters inside three balls. The left-arm spinner bamboozled Mostary with flight to have her stumped earlier than drawing Dilara into chipping a tossed-up supply again to her.
An unfortunate outing for Athapaththu
In the course of the chase, her keep on the crease lasted solely two balls, as Fahima Khatun took a pointy catch at first slip when she superior down the pitch to smash Marufa excessive of her head. That shot, on every other day, would have landed within the stands, as is commonly the case when Athapaththu prices on the bowlers.
Marufa turns an easy chase right into a contest
Bangladesh wanted early wickets to make a contest of what many anticipated to be a cakewalk for Sri Lanka, with the required charge beneath a run-a-ball initially of the chase. Marufa delivered precisely what was wanted, accounting for each Sri Lankan openers.
Marufa had Athapaththu caught at first slip off the final ball of the primary over earlier than bowling a jaffa in her subsequent over, rattling Imesha Dulani’s stumps with one which ripped by means of the gate. Her three powerplay overs yielded 2 for 17.
Sri Lanka’s center order crumbled below strain as Sanjana Kavindi was bowled by Sultana Khatun off the final ball of the powerplay. They had been quickly 5 down for 44 within the tenth over, however a gutsy 38-run stand between Samarawickrama and Nilakshika Silva introduced them again into the competition and threatened to take the sport away from Bangladesh.
Determined for a breakthrough, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana returned to her trump card within the seventeenth over, and Marufa obliged with an ideal over to shift the momentum again in her facet’s favour. The seamer bowled Silva and conceded solely 4 runs to complete with career-best T20I figures of three for 21. It was the fourth time in her 48-match T20I profession that she had taken three wickets within the format.
Samarawickrama finishes the job
Ritu Moni had been immaculate in her first three overs, however Samarawickrama plundered 16 runs off her final over – probably the most conceded in an over within the match – to swing the sport in Sri Lanka’s favour.
A fortunate inside edge off the second ball raced to the fine-leg boundary as Moni adopted Samarawickrama after she backed away to make room on the off facet. The following ball landed straight into the promoting cushion at midwicket because the batter swept the medium pacer for six. She then danced down the wicket to launch Nahida Akter for a towering six down the bottom, decreasing the equation to 2 off the ultimate over.
The win got here off the second ball of the ultimate over, with the ball trickling previous the keeper after brushing her pad.
Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi is a cricket journalist based mostly in Lahore
