In Dambulla on Saturday, host Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets to begin their Women’s T20 Asia Cup campaign on a high note.
Hosts Sri Lanka began their Women’s T20 Asia Cup campaign on a winning note, defeating Bangladesh by seven wickets on Saturday at Dambulla. After limiting Bangladesh to 111 for eight, Sri Lanka finished with 17 balls to spare, scoring 114/3 in 17.1 overs. Bangladesh’s decision to bat first resulted in a terrible start, as they lost three wickets for just six runs. It quickly became 17/4, then 48/5, before skipper Nigar Sultana stabilised the ship with a 48-run knock off 59 balls, including six boundaries.
Shorna Akter made a quick 25 off of 14 balls later in the order, helping Bangladesh reach 100.
For Sri Lanka, Udeshika Prabodhani (2/20) and Inoshi Priyadharshani (2/17) each claimed two wickets, while Sugandika Kumari, Kavisha Dilhari, and Chamari Athapaththu each claimed one.
Vishmi Gunaratne, the opener for Sri Lanka, was the top scorer in the batting order with 51 off 48 balls, including seven fours and a six throughout her performance.
With a contribution of 33 in 31 balls, Harshitha Samarawickrama put her team just short of victory.
The top bowler for Bangladesh was Nahida Akter, who finished with impressive stats of 3/12 in her four overs allotted.
Thailand defeated Malaysia by 22 runs in the first match of the day.
After Nannapat Koncharoenkai, the wicketkeeper, top-scored with 35 balls for 40 runs, and Phannita Maya added 29 in 28 deliveries, Thailand, batting first, amassed 133 for six.
With outstanding statistics of 3/16 in four overs, Mahirah Izzati Ismail proved to be Malaysia’s most successful bowler.
Wan Julia, the opener, scored a half century (52 off 53 balls), but Mahirah’s exertion was in fruitless as Thailand held their opponents to 111 for eight in the stipulated 20 overs.
Winifred Duraisingam, the captain, shared a 68-run first-wicket partnership with Julia, scoring 22 runs in 28 balls at the top of the order.But after that, Malaysian batting crumbled as Thailand won with a well-organized display of their skills with the ball.
