Bangladesh lose rain-affected thriller to Sri Lanka in Women's Asia Cup
It was the penultimate over where the game broke open. Bangladesh needed 14 off 12, and the seasoned Ranaweera removed both batters in the space of three balls to turn the game on its head.
Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by three runs (DLS) in a group stage match of the 2022 Women's Asia Cup on Monday, October 10 after failing to chase down a target of 41 runs in seven overs.
All Bangladesh needed was run-a-ball in their seven-over chase against Sri Lanka in Sylhet after rain interrupted the play after 18.1 overs of Sri Lanka's innings in Sylhet. But the pitch made the chase tricky.
Bangladesh started well, showing good intent despite losing early wickets and the Rumana-Fargana pair appeared to have things under control.
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What Sri Lanka did though, was to hang in there, not letting the boundaries go and they also sneaked in the odd dot ball.
Bangladesh's skipper Nigar Sultana and Rumana Ahmed formed a small, but a crucial partnership to reach near the target.
Eventually, it was the penultimate over where the game broke open. With 14 required off the last two overs, the ball was handed to Inoka Ranaweera and she wreaked havoc while picking a total of four wickets, with one wicket resulting in a run-out. And suddenly, it became 11 needed off the final over.
The defending champions needed a miracle from thereon, but it wasn't to be. Brilliant composure from the Lankans and this is a morale-boosting win for sure.
Ranaweera finished her spell after giving just seven runs in two overs and taking four wickets. Oshadi Ranasinghe also took one wicket for her side as the home team was restricted to just 37/7 in its allotted seven overs and lost the encounter by three runs.
Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bowl first on a slow wicket. Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Athapaththu was dismissed in the second over and it was a huge blow to the batting team. Sri Lanka had posted 83 for 5 after 18.1 overs before the rain came in. Rumana Ahmed bagged a brace for Bangladesh while Nilakshi de Silva was unbeaten on 28.
In the chase, Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana only got into the double-digit (12 off 11).
With this win, Sri Lanka move into the third spot on the points table while Bangladesh are languishing in the fifth spot with their top-four hopes getting tougher.
