JAVERIA TON GIVES PAKISTAN OPENING WIN
hamari Atapattu and Shashikala Siriwardene’s efforts proved fruitless as the Sri Lanka Women’s Team lost their first ODI of the ICC Women’s Championship against the Pakistan Women by 69 runs, at Dambulla yesterday.
Skipper Atapattu won the toss and elected to field first, with the hosts starting brightly removing the Pakistani openers Nahinda Khan and Muneeba Ali inside the first five overs.
However, a 49-run third wicket partnership between Javeria Khan and Captain Bismha Maroof created some stability, before the latter was caught behind for 19 in the 17th over.
Sri Lanka made another breakthrough in the next over when Sidra Ameen was also caught behind, but Javeria Khan and Nida Dar kept the hosts wicketless for the next 18 overs, with a 72-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Javeria finished with an unbeaten century, the second of her international career, with her innings of 113 coming off 142 balls inclusive of 15 boundaries, as Pakistan ended their innings on 250 for six wickets in 50 overs.
Siriwardene and Atapattu finished with two wickets each.
In reply, Sri Lanka lost Hasini Perera (0) in the second ball of the innings, before Atapattu struck partnerships of 51 for the second wicket with Nipuni Hansika (18) and 33 runs for the third wicket with Dilani Manodara to see the hosts to a respectable 84 for two wickets in the 19th over.
It was then that Atapattu was dismissed, and after losing the next four wickets for 40 runs, Sri Lanka found themselves struggling at 124 for seven wickets.
Siriwardene tried to shepherd the lower batting order but to no avail, with her eighth wicket partnership of 40 runs with debutant Kavisha Dilhari, who made 14 off 23, the last resistance shown by the hosts before folding up for 181 runs.
Maroof picked up three wickets for 17 runs in 5.2 overs.
The second match of the series will be played on Thursday (22). SD