- Record their biggest win in WT20Is
DUBAI: Sri Lanka began their Women’s Asia Cup campaign in emphatic fashion, cruising to a nine-wicket win over the UAE after bowling them out for just 79 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Mithali Ayodhya and Chethana Vimukthi led the way with three wickets apiece, while Sugandika Kumari took two, before Chamari Athapaththu’s unbeaten 48 off 25 balls and Imesha Dulani’s 25 off 18 powered the defending champions to the target in just 7.5 overs. The victory, completed with 73 balls to spare, was Sri Lanka’s biggest in T20Is in terms of balls remaining.
Sri Lanka made an ideal start after opting to bowl, with Mithali Ayodhya striking in the fourth ball of the innings to bowl Theertha Satish for a duck. Chethana Vimukthi then joined in, bowling a disciplined spell and removing Lavanya Keny in the fourth over to leave UAE at 8-2. Esha Oza and Heena Hotchandani tried to rebuild, but scoring remained difficult, with Sri Lanka’s bowlers giving little away. UAE reached only 16-2 at the end of the Powerplay.
By the halfway stage, UAE had crawled to 31-3, having played out 37 dot balls. Hotchandani fell for 10 off 18 to Chamari Athapaththu soon after, and although Rinitha Rajith provided some impetus with 15 off 16, wickets kept falling around her. Samaira Dharnidharka made 17 off 25 before Kavisha Dilhari had her caught and bowled in the 15th over, and Rajith followed in the 19th over. Ayodhya then returned to remove the final two batters, bowling UAE out for under 80.
In contrast to the first innings, Sri Lanka made a flying start to the chase, with Dulani and Athapaththu dealing in regular boundaries. Dulani was particularly fluent, striking five fours in her 18-ball 25, while Athapaththu became the first to reach 500 runs in Women’s Asia Cups, with a six off Esha Oza in the fourth over.
The pair raised a half-century stand inside the Powerplay before Dulani was run out for 25 when a drive from Athapaththu ricocheted off the bowler and hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Athapaththu, though, continued the assault with Sanjana Kavindi for company. Having struck two boundaries off Athige Silva, she hit a six off Oza before finishing off the chase with a couple as Sri Lanka began their Asia Cup campaign with a facile win.
Chetana Vimukthi made it a memorable WT20I debut by taking the Player of the Match award for her performance of 3/16.
Scores:
UAE 79 (19.5) (Esha Oza 18, Mithali Ayodhya 3/14, Chethana Vimukthi 3/16, Sugandika Kumari 2/18) lost to Sri Lanka 80-1 (7.5) (Chamari Athapaththu 48*, Imesha Dulani 25)
