Pakistan, who had never made it past the group rounds in eight previous attempts, defeated Sri Lanka by 31 runs. In the second match of the opening day T20 World Cup games at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Pakistan, led by skipper Fatima Sana, faced Sri Lanka, led by captain Chamari Athapaththu. Pakistan’s Fatima Sana won the toss and chose to bat first. Pakistan got off to a bad start as they lost Gull Feroza in the second over of the innings.
Sugandika Kumari helped Sri Lanka make its first breakthrough. Pakistan lost a couple of wickets quickly, leaving Sri Lanka in command of the game. Nida Dar joined Omaima Sohail at the crease, and the duo put up a much-needed 25-run partnership for the fourth wicket to propel their team above the 50-run mark. Kavisha Dilhari took Omaima Sohail’s wicket to secure her team’s fourth breakthrough.
Sri Lanka’s Bowling Dominance
Pakistan was eventually bundled out for 116 in their allotted overs. Pakistan collapsed, losing their final six wickets for only 59 runs. The 28-run ninth-wicket partnership of skipper Fatima Sana and Nashra Sandhu propelled their team above the 100-run mark. The top performers with the bat for Pakistan were Skipper Fatima Sana (30 off 20 balls), Nida Dar (23 off 22 balls), Omaima Sohail (18 off 19 balls), and Sidra Amin (12 off 10 balls).
The top performers for Sri Lanka with the ball were captain Chamari Athapaththu (4-0-18-3), Sugandika Kumari (4-0-19-3), Udeshika Prabodhani (4-0-20-3), who each claimed three wickets, and Kavisha Dilhari (2-0-16-1). With their captain Chamari Athapaththu out of the game in the third over of the run chase, Sri Lanka’s pursuit of a goal of 117 got off to a bad start.
The first breakthrough for Pakistan came when captain Fatima Sana took down their opponent’s captain. Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama came together at the wicket to form an important 16-run partnership for the second wicket. The second breakthrough for her team came when Omaima Sohail removed Harshitha Samarawickrama from the game.
Pakistan’s Bowling Strength
On a challenging pitch, Sri Lanka found it difficult to get going and was eventually reduced to 85/9 in their allotted overs, falling short of the target by 31 runs. They conceded 60 runs for their final seven wickets lost. The 18-run sixth wicket stand between wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani and Nilakshika Silva was Sri Lanka’s highest partnership of the innings.
Fatima Sana returned with match stats (2.5-0-10-2) with the ball after chipping in with a useful effort (30 off 20 balls) with the bat. She was instrumental in her team’s victory over Sri Lanka, which ended in a low-scoring match. Over 18 days, there will be 23 matches at the World Cup, all of which will take place in the two host cities of Dubai and Sharjah.
Conclusion
The top performers with the bat for Sri Lanka were Nilakshika Silva (22 off 25 balls) and Vishmi Gunaratne (20 off 34 balls). The top performers with the ball for Pakistan were Sadia Iqbal (4-0-17-3), skipper Fatima Sana (2.5-0-10-2), Nashra Sandhu (4-0-15-2), and Omaima Sohail (4-0-17-2). Due to her outstanding all-around performance that won the match, captain Fatima Sana was named Player of the Match.
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