Sri Lanka Women won by seven wickets against Bangladesh

2024.07.21

Vishmi Gunaratne was named Player of the Match for her remarkable batting display.

On Saturday, July 20, in Dambulla, Sri Lanka Women opened their Women’s Asia Cup 2024 campaign with a decisive seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh Women. A strong all-around effort, highlighted by a solid half-century from Vishmi Gunaratne, was responsible for this victory. The tournament’s atmosphere was created by Sri Lanka’s dominance on the field, which demonstrated their skill and determination to be a powerful force.

Bangladesh chose to bat first, and their innings was difficult from the start. The squad lost four vital wickets in the power play overs, which severely impeded their progress, and they were immediately dealt a blow. Bangladesh was left reeling by the early wickets, and captain Nigar Sultana’s resolute effort was needed to settle the innings. Sultana was an important anchor. Shorna Akter gave the lower order a much-needed boost with a quick fire 25 from just 14 balls. Bangladesh failed to obtain a competitive score, managing only a meager 111/8 despite her heroic attempts.

With their captain Chamari Athapaththu out of the game, Sri Lanka faced an early blow in their attempt to reach 112 runs. But the group’s depth and tenacity showed that they are no longer dependent on a single individual. Gunaratne led the chase with a cool-headed and deliberate half-century, her third in T20 internationals this year, as she continued her incredible form in 2024.

With Harshitha Samarawickrama as her dependable partner, she was able to guarantee that Sri Lanka would keep up a constant pace throughout the innings with her outstanding support. Together, they were a major factor in Sri Lanka’s triumph, as they easily completed the target with 17 balls remaining. Bangladesh has now lost nine T20 international matches in 2024 as a result of the loss, underscoring the difficulties they have encountered in the format this year. Though the club has shown flashes of potential, they have not been able to turn leads into wins.

Match Summery

Sri Lanka 114 for 3 (Gunaratne 51, Samarawickrama 33, Nahida 3-12) beat Bangladesh 111 for 8 (Nigar 48*, Shorna 25, Priyadharshani 2-17, Prabodhani 2-20) by seven wickets

@charith rajapaksha