Sri Lanka loses first WT20I to Bangladesh by six wickets

Bangladesh Women players celebrate their victory

Sri Lanka women’s captain Chamari Athapaththu (right) and Harshitha Samarawickrama batting against Bangladesh in the first WT20I at the SSC grounds

 Player of the Match Bangladesh Women’s captain Nigar Sultana receives her award from Sri Lanka Cricket ExCo member Channa Weerakkodi

• Nigar Sultana outshines Chamari as Bangladesh takes 1-0 lead 

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

In the ongoing T20I series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh which began at the SSC grounds yesterday, the two rival captains Chamari Athapaththu and Nigar Sultana are the two key figures for their respective teams.

Nigar Sultana is not only the captain of the Bangladesh Women’s cricket team but is also their leading run scorer in Women’s T20I for her country with 1423 runs from 74 matches and a strike rate of 92.04 with one century and five fifties. Likewise, Chamari Athapaththu is the captain of the Sri Lanka Women’s T20I team and is also their leading run-getter with 2337 runs from 111 matches and a strike rate of 102.99 with one century and six fifties.

In the first WT20I Sultana outshone her vis-à-vis by playing a match-winning innings of 75* off 51 balls (7 fours, 2 sixes) to steer Bangladesh to a comprehensive six-wicket win with a ball to spare over Sri Lanka and thereby take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Sultana came to the wicket with her side in a little bit of bother at 23-2 in the fifth over chasing Sri Lanka’s total of 145-6, and gradually took control of the situation to guide her team to victory with an array of strokes to which the Lankan bowlers didn’t have an answer.

Sultana first built the innings with a 51-run stand with Sobhana Mostary (17) and swung the match in Bangladesh’s favour with a partnership of 71 with Ritu Moni (33 off 23 balls) who was run out with the side one run away from victory.

Sri Lanka began well capturing the wickets of both openers with debutant fast bowler Kawya Kavindi providing the initial breakthrough by having Shamima Sultana caught off her fourth ball in international cricket and left-arm seamer Udeshika Prabodhani sending back Rubya Haider for nine.

Where Sri Lanka lost the plot was that their bowling strength which is spin was not at their best, all four of them going at seven runs an over.

Sri Lanka winning the toss batted themselves into a strong position at 107-2 in the 16th over before their middle order fell apart with four wickets tumbling for 17 runs that saw them fall far short of a total in excess of 150 which looked a probability at one stage.

Chamari scored 38 off 28 balls (2 fours, 3 sixes), Harshitha Samarawickrama 45 off 44 balls (5 fours) and Nilakshi de Silva 29* off 28 balls (1 fours), while the rest simply threw their wickets away.

The second WT20I will take place at the same venue on 11 May.  

Scores: Sri Lanka Women 145-6 (20) (Chamari Athapaththu 38, Harshitha Samarawickrama 45, Nilakshi de Silva 29*, Fahima Khatun 2/20)

Bangladesh Women 146-4 (19.5) (Nigar Sultana 75*, Ritu Moni 33)