Sri Lanka defeated Malaysia by a score of 72 runs in the Women’s Asia Cup on Saturday at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium thanks to a masterful bowling effort.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers, spearheaded by pacer Malsha Shehani’s 4/2 in 1.5 overs, were essentially unplayable and bowled out Malaysia for just 33 in 9.5 overs after a poor batting performance that saw them produce 105/7 in 20 overs.
When Sri Lanka decided to bat first, they didn’t get off to a good start, losing three wickets in the powerplay. After some early difficulties, the captain Chamari Athapaththu (21) and the all-rounder Nilakshi de Silva (21) stabilised the innings, but neither of the two was able to turn their promising start into a significant knock for Sri Lanka.
Veteran Oshadi Ranasinghe delivered the vital blow for Sri Lanka, keeping the scoreboard moving in the final five overs with 23 runs off just 18 balls while hitting two fours. Oshadi made sure Sri Lanka passed the 100-run threshold with the help of Malsha’s run-per-ball 14, as the final five overs of the Sri Lankan innings produced 39 runs.
In their T20I history, Malaysia had never pursued anything over 100, so when Sri Lanka took three wickets in the third over– two of them by Sugandika Kumari, with one run-out and they were put in a difficult situation. None of the Malaysian batters could reach double digits except from Elsa Hunter.
Due to their inability to recover from the triple strike, Malaysia continued to lose wickets often throughout their innings. Oshadi had a wicket to her name, Inoka Ranaweera claimed two, and Malsha swiftly dispatched the remaining batsmen to conclude the innings and claim a four-wicket haul, giving Sri Lanka a decisive victory.
Brief Scores: Malaysia 33 all out in 9.5 overs (Elsa Hunter 18; Malsha Shehani 4/2; Inoka Ranaweera 2/8) lost to Sri Lanka 105/7 in 20 overs (Oshadi Ranasinghe 23 not out, Nilakshi de Silva 21; Sasha Azmi 2/10, Ainna Hamizah Hasim 2/23) by 72 runs.
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