ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, PAK-W vs SL-W: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 31 runs

Sharjah: Pakistan produced a superb all-round display to beat Sri Lanka in the second match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup and start their campaign on a winning note at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium here on Thursday. Fatima 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 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) 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. It was a game in which the ball largely dominated the bat, 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 bowling effort got off to a demoralising start when Diana Baig pulled up after sending down the very first ball of the innings and was forced to depart the field with what looked like a significant injury. But that was where the disappointment ended for Pakistan, as they turned in a superb display.

After Sana had picked up the crucial scalp of Athapaththu, Omaima Sohail joined in with two big wickets, cleaning up both Harshitha Samarawickrama (7 from 10) and Hasini Perera (8 from 10) to leave Sri Lanka in big trouble on 35/3 with the required rate climbing. And the spinners proved extremely hard for Sri Lanka to get away as the chase fizzled out under the lights. Sadia Iqbal returned the best figures with 3/17, while Nashra Sandhu went for 2/15 from her four overs, as Pakistan’s slow bowlers tied Sri Lanka in knots.

Earlier, Pakistan’s new captain Fatima Sana enjoyed an initial success in her first match in charge of the team at a major tournament, winning the toss and opting to bat first. 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.

It was a strong start for the Asia Cup champions, who removed both openers through the impressive Sugandika Kumari, who had both Gull Feroza (2 from 4) and Muneeba Ali (11 from 14) caught behind to restrict Pakistan in the powerplay. A middle-order recovery was unable to have a huge impact as Chamari Athapaththu removed Sidra Amin (12 from 10) before Omaima Sohail (18 from 19) and Nida Dar (23 from 22) were dismissed by Kavisha Dilhari and Udeshika Prabodhani respectively.

Pakistan’s batting strategy was clear to see as captain Fatima Sana and Aliya Riaz were pushed down the order, revealing their status as designated ‘finishers’, coming in at seven and eight respectively, two places lower than initially carded. But the prospect of a late flurry was impacted by Athapaththu’s double strike, as she removed Tuba Hassan and Riaz off consecutive deliveries, narrowly missing out on a hat-trick as she fizzed a gem past the outside edge of Diana Baig.

Wickets continued to tumble, but Pakistan skipper Sana did manage to boost her side to a three-figure total, slamming 30 runs off just 20 balls as she produced a sparkling cameo that set up a match-winning total of 116, with the final wicket falling to the last ball of the 20 overs.