Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu led from the front as Sri Lanka recorded a commanding 93-run win in the third and final ICC Women’s Championship match at the Southend Club, Karachi on Sunday. Pakistan won the series 2-1 courtesy of their eight-wicket and 73-run win in the first two matches. At the end of the series Pakistan occupy the top-spot in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 cycle with four points from three games, Sri Lanka collected two points from their win today – this series was the first in the new championship cycle which will determine the six qualifying spots (top five plus the host) for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. Today’s win was Sri Lanka’s lone victory in their first tour of Pakistan in 17 years, before the ODIs, the visitors had lost the T20I series by a 0-3 margin. Set a 261-run target, Pakistan were pegged back after a decent start. The hosts slumped from 41 for no loss to 48 for four in nine overs and never recovered from the mini collapse. Second ODI centurion Sidra Amin (19) was the first to go. Her opening partner Muneeba Ali (16) was run out while captain Bismah Maroof (0) and Nida Dar (5) were dismissed in quick succession as Sri Lankan bowlers tightened the screws. Omaima Sohail fought hard for her 40 off 61 balls (four fours) but her dismissal in the 28th over further increase Pakistan woes. Sidra Nawaz (7) and Fatima Sana (12) were dismissed in the search of quick runs as the required run-rate mounted. Diana Baig (0) was run out without facing a ball. Aliya Riaz stood firm at one end with a fighting half-century (sixth of her career), she was the ninth batter dismissed in an attempt of clearing the boundary. The right-hander hit four fours in her 56 off 82 balls. Athapaththu capped off a brilliant day in the field with a two-wicket contribution with the ball in her six overs. Oshadi Ranasinghe took two wickets while three batters were run out. Sri Lanka sealed their win with Anam Amin’s wicket in the 42nd over. Earlier, Athapaththu who had struggled to get going on the tour finally displayed her immense batting prowess with a scintillating century to set a solid platform for her side’s imposing total after she won the toss and opted to bat first for the fifth time on the tour (three T2oIs, first and third ODI). The left-hander posted the sixth century of her career off the 82nd ball of her innings, her blazing innings was punctuated with 13 fours and a six and she fell shortly after for 101 with Nida Dar dismissing her in the 31st over of the innings, Sri Lanka were 156 at that stage. Athapaththu is the only century maker for Sri Lanka in the ODI format and her innings today once again proved her immense value to country’s women cricket. Athapaththu took the attack to the Pakistan bowlers after the early loss of her opening partner Hasini Perera (3) and Hansima Karunaratne (0). The two were back in the dressing room with a mere four runs on the board in two overs. Athapaththu found an able partner in Harshitha Madavi, the duo added 152 for the third-wicket. After Athapaththu’s departure, Madavi kept the scoreboard moving for Sri Lanka. She was eventually dismissed in the 44th over for 75 off 128 balls (three fours). Madavi added 60 for the fourth-wicket with Kavisha Dilhari (28). Sri Lanka finished their 50 overs at 260 for seven which is their highest total against Pakistan, Anam Amin and Fatima Sana took two wickets apiece for the hosts. Scores in brief: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 93 runs Sri Lanka 260 for 7, 50 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 101, Harshitha Madavi 75; Anam Amin 2-43, Fatima Sana 2-51) Pakistan 167 all out, 41.4 overs (Aliya Riaz 56, Omaima Sohail 40; Chamari Athapaththu 2-20, Oshadi Ranasinghe 2-29) Player of the match: Chamari Athapaththu Player of the series:  Sidra Amin

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-Sidra Amin scored the second century of her ODI career as Pakistan sealed a 2-0 series win with a match to spare in the ICC Women’s Championship encounter against Sri Lanka at the Southend Club, Karachi on Friday. After recording a comprehensive eight-wicket win in the first match on Wednesday, the Sidra inspired Pakistan produced an all-round show to record a thumping 73-run win. Sidra’s commanding batting performance was followed by another outstanding spell by young pacer Fatima Sana who took four Sri Lankan wickets. Sri Lanka were never quite in the hunt of the 254-run target. Openers Hasini Perera (14) and captain Chamari Athapaththu (16) were sent back with only 31 runs on the board in 12.1 overs. The visitors failed to break the shackles and lost wickets as they attempted to up the scoring rate. Hansima Karunaratne (27) and Prasadani Weerakkody (20) consumed 101 balls in the middle overs. Kavisha Dilhari who scored an unbeaten 49 in the first match scored 32 off 35 balls (two fours) but her departure via a stump out in the 39th over drew curtains to Sri Lanka’s efforts. The visitors kept losing wickets as the lower-order succumbed to probing bowling by Pakistan bowlers. Fatima Sana, who had accounted for Perera in her opening spell dismissed Oshadi Ranasinghe and Sachini Nisansala off successive balls in the 42nd over. Fatima Sana added her fourth when she dismissed Nilakshi de Silva for 17. Fatima Sana finished with four wickets for 26 in her 10 overs, she bowled three maidens. Omaima Sohail took two for 35. Sri Lanka finished their 50 overs at 180 for nine. Earlier, for the first time on the tour, Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof won the toss and opted to bat first. Sidra and Muneeba Ali combined to post Pakistan’s first-ever century plus opening-stand in ODIs. The two were involved in a 158-run partnership which comfortably beat the previous best of 96 between Javeria Khan and Nahida Khan against England at Kuala Lumpur in 2019. The left-handed Muneeba registered the second fifty of her ODI career. She was dismissed by Oshadi Ranasinghe for 56 off 100 balls (three fours). Sidra reached the second century of her career on the 137th ball of her innings. The seasoned batter who had scored 76 in the first match produced another dazzling display to dominate the Sri Lankan attack. Sidra went past her previous best of 104 and was just 10 runs shy of Pakistan’s all-time highest ODI score (133 by Javeria Khan) when she was dismissed for 123 (150 ball, 11 fours). Sidra added 74 runs for the second-wicket with Bismah. She has now joined Javeria as Pakistan most prolific ODI century scorer (two each). Bismah who remained unbeaten on 36 off 43 balls, went past Javeria’s tally of 2885 runs to reach the top of Pakistan women’s run-getters list in the ODI format when she reached 31. Nida Dar scored 10 off seven including a four off the last ball to help the hosts get past the 250-run mark. The third and final ODI will be played on Sunday. Scores in brief: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by 73 runs Pakistan 253 for 2, 50 overs (Sidra Amin 123, Muneeba Ali 56, Bismah Maroof 36 not out; Kavisha Dilhari 1-43 Sri Lanka 180 for 9, 50 overs (Harshitha Madavi 41, Kavisha Dilhari 32; Fatima Sana 4-26, Omaima Sohail 2-35) Player-of-the-match: Sidra Amin

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (UAE):-The stage is set for the beginning of qualification for the inaugural edition of next year’s ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa, setting the tone for an exciting build up where the future stars of the women’s game will showcase their talents in front of the world. The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup on South African soil sees back-to-back women’s events take place in the space of two months where the stars of tomorrow are followed by the icons of today’s game in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. The 16-team U19 Women’s T20 World Cup takes place in January 2023 and will include 11 Full Member nations Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe already confirmed as automatic qualifiers. An additional four spots will be determined by a regional qualification process where 19 teams across four regions will battle it out, with the winner of each qualifier confirming their place in the World Cup. Completing the line-up the remaining fifth spot in South Africa is automatically awarded to USA by virtue of being the sole Associate Member nation eligible to compete under the ICC’s Event Pathway Participation Criteria in the Americas region. Starting the Road to South Africa 2023 the first of the four regional events takes place in Asia, where Malaysian venues Kinrara Oval and YSD-UKM Oval, Universiti Kebangsaan in Kuala Lumpur will play host to the first ever U19 Women’s T20 World Cup qualification event. In the space of seven days between 3 and 9 June, 15 matches will be played as the hosts welcome young stars from Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand, Qatar and UAE, with the winner confirming their place in the World Cup. The U19 Women’s Cricket World Cup 2023 will also play an important role in the 100% Cricket Year of Women’s Cricket which was launched on International Women’s Day this year and aims to increase the visibility of women’s cricket, build heroes and connect more cricket fans with the women’s game. ICC Head of Events Chris Tetley said “We are thrilled to be able to support the development of young female players by holding the U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa on the eve of the senior event. The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup has been the stepping stone for so many of the world’s best male players, so we are excited to see how the inaugural U19 women’s edition will drive the growth of women’s cricket and showcase the future stars of the game. “We look forward to working with Cricket South Africa and to celebrate another important milestone in the development of the women’s game.” Speaking on the upcoming Asia Qualifier in Malaysia, Asia Regional Development Manager Aminul Islam remarked “We are embarking on a very exciting journey where we will see some of the most promising young female talent in Asia competing in Malaysia this week. The participating teams are all hopeful of making history by competing at the first-ever ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, and there’s no question we will see some excellent cricket take place to determine who qualifies. Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe automatically qualify for the event, with the remaining five spots available through Regional Qualifiers.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (UAE):-Pakistan spinners Anam Amin and Nida Dar have made notable gains in the latest weekly update to the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings after some fine performances in their three-match home series against Sri Lanka. Left-arm spinner Amin, who grabbed three for 21 in the first match and finished with four wickets in the series, has moved up two places to fourth position, just one off her career-best ranking of third attained in 2016 and 2018. Nida, who has also had a career-best third position in the past, is up four places to 10th. Medium-pacer Fatima Sana is another one to progress in the bowlers’ rankings, moving up seven positions to 73rd while Nida is also up two places to seventh among all-rounders. Sri Lanka medium-pacer Oshadi Ranasinghe’s haul of six wickets in the series has lifted her 18 places to a career-best 38th position. Sugandika Kumari (up 19 places to 46th) and Kavisha Dilhari (up 13 places to 59th) have also gained in the latest update. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof, who was named Player of the Match in the final T20I, has returned to the ranking for batters in 24th position with an aggregate of 60 runs. Ayesha Naseem’s Player of the Match effort of 45 not out off 31 balls in the second match has helped her move up 16 places to 64th. The Sri Lanka batters to advance include left-hander Harshitha Madavi (up two places to 74th), Hasini Perera (up 18 places to 87th) and Nilakshi de Silva (up 22 places to joint-92nd). The upcoming ODI series between the two teams starting Wednesday kicks off the ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) and provides players a chance to move up the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings. Maroof goes into the series ranked 26th and is one of five Pakistan players in the top 50 for batters, while spinner Nashra Sundhu (14th) is among four Pakistan bowlers in the top 50.

Report: Emmad Hameed KARACHI:-Bismah Maroof-led Pakistan are hoping to carry forward the winning momentum gained in the T20I series as they take on Sri Lanka in the first of the three ICC Women’s Championship ODIs at the Southend Club, Karachi on Wednesday. The Pakistan-Sri Lanka series marks the beginning of the new ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 which is the qualification pathway for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. Two more teams (Bangladesh and Ireland) have been added to the championship taking the number of participating teams to 10. This is the first-ever ICC Women’s Championship series to be played in Pakistan. The hosts produced a quality performance last week to sweep the three-match T20I series at the same venue and after two days of intense training and practice session, Pakistan are ready to make an impression in the 50-over format in  familiar playing conditions. Sri Lanka however enjoyed an historic edge over their hosts in the ODI format having won as many as 21 out of the 30 matches played between the two sides to date. Pakistan though have won the last three ODI encounters between the two sides, the Bismah-led tourists recorded a 3-0 sweep of the 2018 series played in Dambulla. The last time the two sides competed in an ODI in Pakistan was in December 2005 with Sri Lanka winning both Asia Cup encounters. This series is the first bilateral ODI series between the two sides in Pakistan. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof said: “After a dominating performance in the T20Is against Sri Lanka, we are now focused on delivering our best in the ODI series which is a part of the ICC Women’s Championship. I am pleased that two more teams have been added to the championship. This step from the ICC will help promote the women’s game in Bangladesh and Ireland besides providing them direct qualification opportunities. “Our aim like the rest of the sides would be to earn a direct spot in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025. The ODI squad for the series is a good blend of experience and youth. We have a number of experienced batters in Sidra Amin, Nida Dar, Alia Riaz and myself. “Bowling is our traditional strength, Anam Amin did a great job for us in the T20Is and besides her we have a number of quality spin bowling options. We also have a very capable pace attack led by Fatima Sana and Diana Baig.” Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu said: “The performance in the T20I series was disappointing as we failed to win a match. The ICC Women’s Championship fixtures are vital for all sides so we want to put behind the T20I performances and focus on winning the ODIs. This is a new format and a fresh tournament for us so we will try to execute our plans properly as gaining maximum points is each side’s aim and we will be focusing on the same. “We have to try and play positive cricket, we have some plans and hopefully we can execute them well in the series. It is important for us to improve as we are at number 10 in the rankings so we need to gain enough points to jump up a spot or two.” Pakistan ODI squad: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Sidra Nawaz (wicketkeeper). Sri Lanka ODI squad: Chamari Athapaththu (captain), Achini Kulasuriya, Ama Kanchana, Anushka Sanjeewani, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hansima Karunaratne, Hasini Perera, Inoka Ranaweera, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Oshadhi Ranasinghe, Prasadani Weerakkody, Sachini Nisansala, and Sugandika Kumari. Series schedule: 1 Jun – First ODI 3 Jun – Second ODI 5 Jun – Third ODI

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-The chief selector of the national women’s team has retained the same team - that recorded their maiden T20I series clean sweep against Sri Lanka - for their upcoming commitments in the United Kingdom during which they will compete in a tri-series in Ireland and Commonwealth Games in England. The squad was finalised after deliberations amongst Asmavia Iqbal, the national women team’s chief selector, head coach David Hemp and captain Bismah Maroof. Eighteen players have been announced for the two series, which include three reserve players: Ghulam Fatima, Sadaf Shamas and Umme Hani. Pakistan will take on T20 world champions Australia and hosts Ireland in Belfast from 16 to 24 July and play Barbados, India and Australia in Commonwealth Games on 29, 31 July and 3 August. Ahead of their departure to the UK on 12 July, the team will undergo an extensive training session in Islamabad at House of Northern from 1 to 11 July. Chief Selector Asmavia Iqbal said: “Following a successful series against Sri Lanka, we have decided to retain the same winning combination. Not only our senior cricketers in the side displayed great cricketing acumen also our youngsters were outstanding and have raised their hands whenever the team needed them to. “We are delighted with the start Tuba Hassan has had to her international career and feel her leg-spin will be a potent weapon for us in the days ahead. Ayesha Naseem produced a match winning innings in the second match of the T20Is against Sri Lanka and proved her big-hitting ability. “The tri-series in Ireland and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games will test the abilities of our players and I have all the belief in them that they will live up to the expectations and show consistent results. Head of Women Cricket, Tania Mallick said: “I want to congratulate our team for putting up a solid and dominating display in Karachi against Sri Lanka and I am sure these girls will continue their form in the ICC Women’s Championship fixtures. Our team has all the potential to do well in the United Kingdom and I wish them the very best for the tri-series and Commonwealth Games. “I want to thank the Commonwealth Games for accepting our request to accommodate our captain Bismah Maroof’s family at the games village which will allow her to focus on the task at hand without any worries about her young infant daughter.” Names of selected players: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Ayesha Naseem, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza (wicketkeeper), Iram Javed, Kainat Imtiaz, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (wicketkeeper), Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadia Iqbal and Tuba Hassan. Pakistan’s fixtures: Tri-series at Belfast 16 July – v Australia 19 July – v Ireland 23 July – v Australia 24 July – v Ireland Commonwealth Games at Birmingham 29 July – v Barbados 31 July – v India 3 August – v Australia

Sports Bulletin Report LAHORE:-Pakistan women will tour Australia for three T20Is and three ODIs, which will be played in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra from 16-29 January 2023. The ODIs, which will be part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-2025, will be played on 16, 18 and 21 January with the opening two games scheduled in Brisbane. The third ODI will be held on 21 January in Sydney, which will also stage the first T20I on 24 January. The remaining two T20Is will be played in Canberra on 27 and 29 January. Pakistan’s tour to Australia is one of their four away series in this competition played over a three-year period. Their other three away series are against Bangladesh, England and New Zealand, schedule of which will be announced in due course. Pakistan is presently hosting Sri Lanka, which is one of the four series that will be played in their backyard. Ireland, South Africa and West Indies are the other home series with Ireland scheduled to tour in November, while details of South Africa and West Indies to be announced closer to time. The ICC Women’s Championship is being competed by 10 sides, which include Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies. At the end of the three-year cycle, the top five teams and the hosts will book a berth for the World Cup in 2025, while the rest of the teams will have to go through the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier. In addition to the ICC Women’s Championship fixtures, Pakistan women will also participate in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (25 July-8 August), December’s ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup and ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (2-26 February). Pakistan women’s schedule of matches in Australia: ODIs 16 Jan: Allan Border Field, Brisbane 18 Jan: Allan Border Field, Brisbane 21 Jan: North Sydney Oval, Sydney T20Is 24 Jan: North Sydney Oval, Sydney 27 Jan: Manuka Oval, Canberra 29 Jan: Manuka Oval, Canberra

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-The ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka women teams will start on Wednesday, 1 June, at the Southend Club, Karachi. All three matches of the series which are a part of the ICC Women’s Championship will be staged at the same venue. After the opening game on 1 June, the next two fixtures will be played on 3 and 5 June. Prior to the start of the series, the two teams will practice for two days (30 and 31 May) at the Southend Club. Monday, 30 May: Training and practice session for both teams from 10:00am to 1:00pm Media talk with a Pakistan squad member at around 1:15pm Tuesday, 31 May: ODI series trophy unveiling for media at the Southend Club at 9:45am Training and practice session for both teams from 10:00 am to 12:30pm Pakistan and Sri Lanka captains or head coaches to hold pre-series press conferences - Southend Club media lounge from around 12:30pm

Sports Bulletin Report Pune (India):-Supernovas were crowned champions of the My 11 Circle Women’s T20 Challenge 2022 after beating Velocity by 4 runs on Saturday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. Deandra Dottin scored a magnificent 62(44) and scalped two wickets as Supernovas sealed a final-ball victory to claim their third title.   Chasing 166 to win, openers – Shafali Verma and Yastika Bhatia were off to a flier and Velocity were 28-0 in the first two overs. However, Deandra Dottin dismissed Shafali Verma in the next over after the Velocity opener was caught behind. The Velocity openers were back in the hut after Yastika Bhatia was caught and bowled by Sophie Ecclestone. The left-arm spinner then crashed the stumps of Kiran Navgire and Velocity were 38/3 at the end of the powerplay. Natthakan Chantham was the next batter to depart after she was trapped LBW by Pooja Vastrakar and Velocity were reeling at 61/4 at the halfway stage. Velocity lost half their side after skipper Deepti Sharma holed out to long-on against Alana King. The required run-rate went in excess of twelve as Velocity required 91 runs in the final seven overs with Laura Wolvaardt and Sneh Rana in the middle. Wolvaardt kept the scoreboard ticking as the 100 was up for Velocity before Alana King dismissed Sneh Rana and Radha Yadav on consecutive deliveries. New batter Kate Cross creamed two fours before the right-handed batter was caught behind off Deandra Dottin, who scalped her second wicket. Wolvaardt hammered her second six of the innings and reached her half-century but the Velocity batter kept running out of partners at the other end. Velocity required 34 off 12 after new batter Simran Bahadur crunched a six over long-on. Bahadur further creamed three fours in a row which brought the equation down to 17 off the final over. Wolvaardt smacked the first ball for six but Ecclestone held her nerves and successfully defended the total after Velocity needed six off the final delivery.Earlier, Supernovas were put in to bat first by Velocity. While team Velocity remained unchanged, Supernovas made two changes after Mansi Joshi and Rashi Kanojiya were named in the eleven. After only eleven runs in the first two overs, Priya Punia struck the first six of the innings. Deandra Dottin at the other end got a reprieve before the opener dispatched consecutive sixes against Sneh Rana as Supernovas reached 46/0 at the end of the powerplay. Velocity continued their search for the opening breakthrough as the fifty partnership was up between Punia and Dottin. Both – Punia and Dottin added a six each before the 73-run partnership finally came to an end after Punia was caught by Laura Wolvaardt off Simran Bahadur’s bowling. Supernovas were 78/1 at the halfway mark before Dottin reached her fifty in style with a flat six. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur then got into the act and smacked her first six of the innings as the hundred was up for the Supernovas in the 12th over. Harmanpreet got into the action with two sixes and a four in the 14th over as the fifty partnership was up for the second wicket in just 29 deliveries. However, Velocity skipper Deepti Sharma rattled the stumps of Dottin, who was dismissed on 62. Supernovas were 138-2 at the end of 16 overs before Ayabonga Khakha knocked the stumps of Pooja Vastrakar. Velocity bounced back into the game after Cross scalped two wickets in an over including the big dismissal of Harmanpreet Kaur. Skipper Deepti Sharma claimed her second wicket after Sune Luus was caught at long-off. Simran Bahadur then dismissed Harleen Deol on the final ball of the innings and Supernovas finished the twenty overs with a total of 165/7 on the board.  Brief Scores: Supernovas 165/7 (Deandra Dottin 62, Harmanpreet Kaur 43; Deepti Sharma 2-20) beat Velocity 161/8 (Laura Wolvaardt 65*, Simran Bahadur 20*; Alana King 3-32) by 4 runs.

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI:-Pakistan women produced one of their best fielding displays to defeat Sri Lanka women by four wickets in a last-ball thriller to win the third and final Twenty20 International in front of PCB cameras at the Southend Club on Saturday. The victory gave Pakistan a 3-0 series result. Electing to bat first, Sri Lanka were in a position of strength at 69-0 in 11 overs before they made the miscalculation of testing Pakistan fielders’ mobility, agility and athleticism inside the 30-yard circle. This ploy badly backfired as they slipped to 83-7 in 16.4 overs, including four run-outs and a smart catch in the deep by Iram Javed of Sri Lanka’s top-scorer Chamari Athapaththu (37). The visitors eventually limped to 107 for eight in 20 overs that included five run-outs. This was the 14th time in a women’s T20I that five batters were run-out in an innings and second time involving Sri Lanka. The record for most run-outs in an innings – six – is held by Singapore against Myanmar as they scored 86 for nine in April 2019. The home side was stretched to the limits before they achieved victory for the loss of six wickets on the last ball of their allocation of overs after needing 15 runs off the last 12 balls, eight off the final over and two off the final delivery. Pakistan captain Bismah Maroof, batting at numer seven, brought all her experience into play when she returned not out on 15 priceless runs off 15 balls. She added 17 runs for the unfinished seventh wicket with Kainat Imtiaz who contributed four off seven balls. Athapaththu and Hasini Perera (27) provided their side a solid and confident start when they struck five fours and two sixes between them to carry their side to 69 for no loss in 11 overs. The two batters nudged and pushed the ball for ones and twos as Pakistan bowlers, while succeeded in protecting the boundaries, were unable to take wickets. But as boundaries became hard to come by and overs running out, the Sri Lanka batters decided to test the fielders and that resulted in a sensational collapse as the tourists lost seven wickets for 14 runs in a space of 34 balls. Perera started the procession when she failed to beat Bismah Maroof and was run-out halfway, next ball Athapaththu holed out to Iram that was followed by three more run-outs of Oshadi Ranasinghe, Harshitha Madavi and Ama Kanchana, while Nilakshi de Silva was trapped in front of the wickets by Tuba Hassan and Kavisha Dilhari was castled by Kainat Imtiaz as 69-0 soon became 83-7. However, a 24-run eighth wicket partnership between Anushka Sanjeewani (14 not out) and Sugandika Kumari (10) helped Sri Lanka to 107 for eight. Kumari was the last batter who was run-out, raising the total of run-outs in an innings to five. In their target chase, Pakistan had a few nervous moments as they lost wickets at regular intervals, but they were not really under any pressure as they ensured they maintained the required run-rate. Muneeba Ali scored a 33-ball 25, Aliya Riaz hit a 23-ball 17, Nida Dar contributed run-a-ball 14 and Iram Javed scored a 12-ball 10. Unlike Sri Lanka, Pakistan struck eight fours and a six. The two sides will now go head to head in the ICC Women’s Champions matches, which will be played at the same venue on 1, 3 and 5 June. Scores in brief Sri Lanka 107-8, 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 37, Hasini Perera 24) Pakistan 108-6, 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 25, Aliya Riaz 17; Oshadi Ranasinghe 3-18)