Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) has invited 31 players for the trials to select the national team for upcoming bilateral series against South Africa. The trials will be conducted from 31st January to 2nd February 2022 at Bahria Town Lahore. The Selection Committee comprising Mohammad Bilal Satti (Chairman Selection Committee), Masood Jan and Ibrar Shah (members) will take trials of the shortlisted 31 players to select two Pakistan Blind Cricket teams, one for the upcoming home series against South Africa to be held in Pakistan from 26th February to 9th March 2022 and another Pakistan team for the Triangular series comprising Pakistan, India, and New Zealand to be held at United Arabs Emirates (UAE) March 2022. List of shortlisted players: Riasat Khan (Abbottabad), Nisar Ali (AJK), Mohammad Rashid (Bahawalpur), Zafar Iqbal (Bahawalpur), Badar Munir (Okara), Mohammad Ijaz (Bahawalpur), Sajid Nawaz (Bahawalpur), Mati Ullah (Lahore), Sana Ullah Marwat (Peshawar), Mohammad Shahzaib (Bahawalpur), Moain Aslam (Bahawalpur), Mohsin Khan (Peshawar), Mohammad Ayyaz (Bahawalpur), Anees Javed (Islamabad), Akmal Hayat (Islamabad), Mohammed Tehsin (AJK), Shahzaib Haider (Islamabad), Ayub Khan (Islamabad), Mohammad Salman (Lahore), Niamat Ullah (Quetta), Mohammad Faisal (AJK), Fakhar Abbas (Islamabad), Naseeb ullah (Quetta), Mohammad Safdar (Multan), Mohammad Asif (Peshawar), Israr Hassan (Gujranwala), Mohammad Talha (Gujranwala), Shafi Ullah (Peshawar), Haroon (Peshawar), Kashif Siddique (Okara), Ahtesham ul Haq (Attock)

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Australia became the third side into the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 Super League semi-finals with a comprehensive win over Pakistan. They joined England and Afghanistan in the final four with a 119-run success on a day where batting first was the order of the day. The United Arab Emirates set a target beyond hosts West Indies on their way to a Plate semi-final success, while Uganda were 35-run winners in the Plate play-off semi-finals against Papua New Guinea. Top order batting sends Australia through Australia booked their place in the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 Super League semi-finals with a 119-run win over Pakistan thanks to some fine top-order batting. Half-centuries for Teague Wylie and Corey Miller, as well as 47 from Campbell Kellaway, helped Australia to 276 for 7 from their 50 overs and that proved far too much for Pakistan in Antigua. Barring a 50-run partnership for the third wicket, Pakistan were always behind in their chase and eventually crumbled to 157 all out with the wickets shared among the Australian bowlers. Pakistan won the toss and elected to field, but soon regretted that decision as Kellaway and Wylie (71) put on 86 for the first wicket. Kellaway was stumped off the bowling of Qasim Akram (3-40), but that just brought Miller to the crease and he accelerated the run-rate on his way to 64. Their stand of 101 was brought to an end by Awais Ali, who had Wylie bowled, with Miller following soon after to leave Australia 203 for three with just under ten overs remaining. Skipper Cooper Connolly chipped in with 33 and William Salzmann cracked a quickfire 25 off 14 balls from No.7 to set a competitive target. It soon became clear that it would be well beyond Pakistan, with Muhammad Shehzad and Haseebullah Khan both caught behind to leave their side 27 for two in the fifth over. Abdul Faseeh (28) and Irfan Khan (27) started to rebuild before the latter was bowled by Salzmann (3-37), and the wickets fell at regular intervals from then on. Australia will now face the winner of the final Super League quarter-final between India and defending champions Bangladesh on Saturday. UAE stun the hosts A sensational knock from Aayan Afzal Khan helped UAE to one of the greatest results in their history as they beat the West Indies by 82 runs in the Plate semi-finals in Trinidad. After edging past Uganda by a wicket, UAE endured a torrid start when Shiva Shankar (3-31) struck early and often to leave the visitors scrambling at 26 for four. It was at that point that Aayan entered the fray, and his 93 turned the game on its head. While initially wickets continued to tumble, his 103-run partnership with Shival Bawa (51) for the seventh wicket ensured that the Asian would have something to defend. He was the last man to fall in a first innings effort of 224 for nine, a target that proved far too much for the Windies. Jash Giyanani (3-21) made the early inroads, with the home side quickly finding themselves 32 for four. And unlike the UAE, they had no Aayan to save the day, as Dhruv Parashar (4-30) picked up the baton with the ball. In fact the most resistance from the West Indies came from the final pair, Nathan Edward hitting an unbeaten 51 as he and No.11 Isai Thorne put on 70 for the final wicket before fittingly Aayan sealed the win. UAE will now take on the winner of Ireland against Zimbabwe in the Plate final, while the West Indies take on the loser in the play-off for 11th. Kakuru fires Uganda past PNG Cyrus Kakuru inspired Uganda to a 35-run victory over Papua New Guinea in the Plate play-off semi-finals in Trinidad. His 65 was the foundation of Uganda’s 123 all out in a low-scoring affair and Papua New Guinea never really got going in reply, slumping to 88 all out inside 20 overs. Uganda looked in trouble at 20 for three after electing to bat first, but it was at that point that Kakuru joined his skipper Pascal Murungi. The captain chipped in with 16, the only other man to make double figures and while John Kariko (5-19) caused chaos, Kakuru motored along to a half-century. He eventually fell caught and bowled to Kariko for 65 off 59 balls with 11 boundaries. But the reply never really got going, Juma Miyagi (4-29) and Joseph Baguma (3-30) combining to tear through the top order and reduce PNG to 27 for six. There was no way back from there, despite 26 from Junior Morea as PNG fell well short in reply. Uganda will now take on Scotland in the play-off for 13th. Meanwhile, three UAE players and one India player have received positive PCR test results for COVID-19 through the official event testing programme. The players are currently self-isolating and are being monitored and cared for by the medical team.

Bipin Dani Which parents would not be glad to see their son grabbing 5 wickets and giving away only 10 runs in less than 10 overs ? Vinuja Ranpul's mother glued before the TV on Thursday night and was "pleasantly surprised" to watch her son showing bowling skill in the U-19 QF match against Afghanistan in Antigua. "(I was surprised) because my son is a batting all-rounder. He is the one down batsman of Nalanda College 1st XI team and scored unbeaten 119 runs and 3 half centuries in the previous U19 school tournament. He was the 5th most run getter in that whole school tournament as well", the mother Deepani Rane, who is a lawyer by profession, said exclusively over the telephone from Sri Lanka. "Representing his first match in the ICC U-19 World Cup as a bowling all-rounder, I see this as an opportunity to improve his bowling skills too", the mother added. Vinuja's father Upul Vithanage is a sea-man (now sailing from Scotland to St. Juan Portico). The sailor with Evergas Company had also played cricket for some extent representing the BRC club Sri Lanka. Vinuja was influenced by his father. His only sister is a 3rd year medical student studying at Faculty of Medicine, Karapitiya, Sri Lanka. Mahela's pep-talk Obviously, the entire team was disappointed on losing the match after performing so well till this stage. Mahela, the team consultant, did console the players, though, one of the sources in Antigua confirmed. "He gave his own example of his playing days when his team lost four times out of five after reaching the final but ultimately won", one of the sources in Antigua confirmed.

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Afghanistan produced a sensational fightback to edge a thriller with Sri Lanka and secure a place in the semi-finals of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022. Despite only setting a target of 135, a superb performance with the ball means Suliman Safi’s side just did enough to progress from the Super League quarter-finals. A composed late spell at the crease from Sri Lanka’s skipper Dunith Wellalage looked for a while like he would pull his team over the line, but it was not meant to be as Afghanistan edged the low-scoring thriller to reach the final four, matching their achievement from the 2018 tournament in New Zealand. They will now face England in the first Super League semi-final at the Sir Viv Richards Cricket Ground on 1 February. Afghanistan bowlers come alive to launch superb fightback Wellalage’s team elected to field after the winning the toss at the Coolidge Cricket Ground and for the first few overs it was difficult to tell whether it was the correct decision. Afghanistan openers Nangeyalia Kharote and Bilal Sayedi looked solid for the opening ten overs before Traveeen Mathew struck with a wicked delivery that removed Sayedi. Kharote departed in the very next over and when skipper Suliman Safi was trapped LBW after making just one, Afghanistan were reeling. Ijaz Ahmadzai lost his wicket without troubling the scoreboard, but fellow middle-order batsman Abdul Hadi was able to steady the ship with a crucial knock. The left-hander came to the crease with his team struggling, but he managed to make 37, including four boundaries, before he was stumped after a clever delivery from Dunith Wellalage. Vinjua Ranpul then helped clear-out the tail for Sri Lanka, ending with a five-wicket haul at the expense of just ten runs. When he trapped Izharulhaq Naveed, Afghanistan were all out for just 134 runs. The Sri Lankan reply was on shaky ground from the start. Opener Sadisha Rajapaksa went for a duck in the opening over, and his replacement Shevon Daniel went for just 2 after he was clean bowled by Bilal Sami. After 13 overs, they were in a worse position than Afghanistan were during their innings. Nor Ahmed then produced a cracking delivery to remove Ranuda Somarathne and put Sri Lanka in real trouble. From that point, their dreams of lifting a first ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup were fading fast. However, the eight wicket partnership between captain Wellalage and Raveen de Silva looked like it might save the day, taking Sri Lanka from 43 runs for seven to 112. Kharote then took the crucial wicket of the skipper, who played cheaply, before Naveed claimed the wicket of de Silva to set-up a nerve jangling finish. Sri Lanka got to within five runs of victory, but their fourth run-out of the innings cost Mathew the final wicket and gave Afghanistan a dramatic victory.

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-A blistering display with the bat by Jacob Bethell helped England advance to the semi-finals of the Super League in a six-wicket win over South Africa. Bethell was one of the bowlers to restrict South Africa to 209 all out before hitting 88 to see England set up a clash with either Sri Lanka or Afghanistan. Matthew Welch’s 78 helped Zimbabwe to set Scotland a tricky chase of 249 in their Plate quarter-final. Scotland were unable to build partnerships as they slumped to 140 all out to see Zimbabwe advance to meet Ireland. They will be joined in the semi-finals by the hosts West Indies who were too good for Papua New Guinea in a 169-run win. The West Indies will now face the United Arab Emirates, while Papua New Guinea are set to take on Uganda in the Plate play-offs. Bethell’s batting masterclass sets England up for victory over South Africa South Africa endured a slow start having won the toss and chosen to bat, their first boundary came off the final ball of the fourth over, before Joshua Boyden dismissed Valentine Kitime off the next delivery. Boyden would claim his 12th wicket of the tournament to send the other opener Ethan-John Cunningham back to the hutch and reduce South Africa to 21 for two. Dewald Brevis and Gerhardus Maree combined to steady the South African ship, adding 55 runs to the total before Bethell dismissed Maree as he played and missed. Brevis remained a familiar stronghold for South Africa as he brought up his fourth fifty-plus score in a row eventually falling just short of a century on 97. His dismissal brought about a batting collapse for South Africa as three wickets fell for one run as the batters went in search of boundaries, but only found the grateful hands of fielders with Rehan Ahmed claiming figures of four for 48. The final-wicket partnership of Matthew Boast and Asakhe Tsaka frustrated England adding 40 as South Africa ended on 209 all out. Bethell came out all guns blazing in England’s chase, hitting the fourth fastest half-century of ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup history, reaching fifty off just 20 balls, as the Young Lions went at over 10 an over. George Thomas was a delighted onlooker at the non-striker’s end only moving into double figures in the tenth over, before smacking a six to bring up England’s hundred. South Africa finally struck as Bethell went for one heave too many but not before he had put on 88 from 42 deliveries to place England as overwhelming favourites. That tag was backed up by good partnerships in the top order, before William Luxton came in at five to strike 47 from 41 balls and get England into the semi-finals with a six. Zimbabwe too good for Scotland as Plate quarter-finals draw to a close After seeing his opening partner Emmanuel Bawa fall for three runs, Matthew Welch added 32 runs for the second wicket alongside Panashe Taruvinga, with Taruvinga contributing just three runs before being dismissed by Jack Jarvis. Welch then advanced passed fifty, as did Brian Bennett whose 54 off 58 balls helped Zimbabwe reach 155 in the 31st over. Bennett was then forced to go, bowled leg before wicket by Lyle Robertson as he was replaced in the middle by another Bennett, David, who worked with Welch to move Zimbabwe closer to 200 before Welch fell for 78. Jarvis then swung the game back in Scotland’s favour taking two wickets in two balls to reduce Zimbabwe to 221 for seven and remove the dangerous Rogan Wolhuter. His hat-trick ball came in his next over and while he could not get the scalp of Tendekai Mataranyika he soon bowled Connor Mitchell to leave Zimbabwe reeling. Alex Falao was the final wicket to fall as Zimbabwe ended on 248 all out, meaning Scotland would have to post their highest score of the tournament to win. In reply, Scotland were restricted by good bowling from Zimbabwe, Charlie Tear was first to go bowled leg before wicket by Mcgini Dube before Bennett and Bawa got in on the act. Left-arm spinner Mitchell then picked up the next three wickets as Scotland slumped to 105 for six with 26 overs remaining. Scotland’s collapse continued as Bennet also claimed a threefer including the final wicket of Ruaridh McIntyre to bowl out Scotland for a 108-run win and to advance to the Plate League semi-finals. Hosts on all-round fire in Papua New Guinea win The home side were in blistering form as they took on Papua New Guinea in the final Plate quarter-final. Shaqkere Parris and Matthew Nandu combined at the top of the order to add 155 runs before the first wicket fell, Parris caught behind off the bowling off Rasan Kevau. Nandu kept scoring alongside Teddy Bishop before he had to go –  playing and missing a good ball from Patrick Nou. Captain Nandu would eventually bring up his hundred on the final ball of the 42nd over, sweeping for four to earn his first century of the tournament, the landmark coming from 112 balls. Alongside Kevin Wickham, Nandu kept pushing the Windies’ total higher reaching 128 before a late fight back by Boio Ray. Nandu was the first of Ray’s victims as he claimed three wickets in the penultimate over, the West Indies eventually ended with an imposing 317 for six. Ray could not add to his heroics as he was bowled first ball by Nathan Edward and was soon joined in the dugout by Peter Karoho and captain Barnabas Maha as PNG slipped to 56 for three. Opener Christopher Kilapat then looked to dig in but was eventually out having scored just five from 46 balls. Not content with top scoring with the bat, Nandu then took two wickets in two balls as Papua New Guinea’s hopes of a win grew slimmer. Aue Oru reached 27 not out to be Papua New Guinea’s top scorer but his 52-ball innings was in vain as Rasan Kevau was run out on seven to see his side fall 169 runs short of their target.

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-South Africa batters Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen have made huge gains in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after helping their team complete a memorable 3-0 series win over India. De Kock is in the top five for the first time since the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 after aggregating 229 runs that included a match-winning 124 in the final match in Cape Town. The wicketkeeper-batter has moved up four places after his Player of the Series effort. Van der Dussen, who scored 218 runs, has advanced 10 places to reach a career-best 10th position. Captain Temba Bavuma has also made huge progress, reaching a career-best 59th position from 80th before the latest weekly update which also includes the Afghanistan-Netherlands series and the last match of the Sri Lanka-Zimbabwe series. Opener Shikhar Dhawan, the leading scorer for India against South Africa with 169 runs, has moved up one place to 15th in the list led by Pakistan captain Babar Azam with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in second and joint-third positions, respectively. Rishabh Pant is up five places to 82nd. Afghanistan batter Rahmat Shah’s aggregate of 153 runs against the Netherlands has lifted him seven places to joint-36th while Hashmatullah Shahidi is up nine places to 53rd. For the Netherlands, Scott Edwards’s series-topping 208 runs see him move up 97 places to 100th. Charith Asalanka of Sri Lanka is another one to progress, from 52nd to a career-best 46th position. South Africa’s bowlers too have significant gains in Wednesday’s update. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi is back in the top 20 after five wickets in the series and spinner Keshav Maharaj is at a career-best 33rd position. Andile Phehlukwayo is up seven places to 52nd after taking six wickets in the series. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, England batter Jason Roy’s 45-run knock in the second match against the West Indies has helped him move up one place to 15th while West Indies’ Brandon King is up 28 places to 88th thanks to his unbeaten 52 in the first match. In the bowlers’ list, Jason Holder is up to a career-best 26th following his haul of four for seven that won him the Player of the Match award in the first match. His team-mate Akeal Hosein bowled economically to gain 40 places and reach 33rd after the first two matches.

Bipin Dani Indian sociologists have come in support of Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma, who have requested the fans not to circulate their daughter Vamika's photo on social media. Cameras were zoomed in on Anushka holding the baby in the arm when former captain Kohli reached 50 in the 3rd and final ODI against South Africa on Sunday. "Any post made public is bound to have repercussions, and if you are celebrities, like Virat and Anushka, it will be followed by a large number of people reacting to it. Requesting them to social media to respect their privacy and not click, share or upload the pics of their little daughter was fine and totally their personal matter", Prof. Abha Chauhan, President, Indian Sociological Society (ISS), says. Adding further, she says, "Beyond that it should be just a normal way of leading life, even cheering at the match, or being clicked at times, could be a usual way of growing up for a child of the two celebrities". "The couple didn’t need to justify or sound apologetic about not being aware of the camera on them during the one-day international match between India and South Africa. The comments and counter-comments, now and before, from their fans and others, many of them making fun and some demeaning, were not in a good spirit". "Socialization of a child is a contextual process, it depends on where and to whom you are born. There are thousands of children in our country who need care and attention, but are completely ignored by the media. Why make some children more special than others, by either protecting them too much or exposing them a lot? Either way, the children of the celebrities will be susceptible to focus and remain the center of attraction. Just let them be…and just let them enjoy the status which they have inherited, normally and naturally! "If they don't want to bring the photos and other personal details of their daughter on social media, as an ethically and morally responsible persons, we should refrain from posting their personal details. It will provide a better chance, free from the dazzling lives of celebrities, of growing up and socialization to the daughter of Virat and Anushka", However, it is to be noted here that ex-captain Dhoni and his wife Sakshi have also portrayed their daughter Ziva in public domain. Prof. Manish K. Verma, the secretary. of the Association says, "No matter other celebrities have 'chosen' to make their personal life public by showcasing the photographs and other details of their spouse and children on social media, it is strictly the decision of Virat and Anushka that what they want with regard to their daughter and how they want to groom her", the sociologist adds.

Sports Bulletin JOHANNESBURG:-The South African Blind cricket team will visit Pakistan to play a bilateral series of the three One Day Internationals (ODI) and three Twenty20 matches from February 26 to March 9, 2022. In an effort to ensure a truly memorable and successful tour for the team, the City of Johannesburg's Sport and Recreation Directorate and Blind Cricket South Africa (BCSA) organized a training camp for the preliminary squad. It is pertinent to mention that the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) has invited Blind Cricket South Africa (BCSA) to compete in an international bilateral blind cricket series from 26 February to 9 March 2022. The South African national team will compete in three One Day International (ODI) and three T20 matches against their Pakistani counterparts. This tour promises to be enthralling as it will challenge the team against the 2017 T20 World Cup and 2018 ODI World Cup finalists. “It has been an effective training camp for Blind Cricket South Africa. This camp has enabled us to not only prepare and practice, but also to promote and facilitate our players' dignity and independence," said Michael da Silva, the coach of BCSA national team. “A 20-member South African team with players who all come from different provinces, including officials, will tour Pakistan," he said, adding that Blind Cricket South Africa will reveal the national team players for the series in the first week of February and that they have identified a pool of 25 to 30 players from whom the final line-up will be picked. The team stayed at Haron Bridge Retreat from Friday, January 21, to Sunday, January 23, 2022, for the training camp. BCSA identified the need for a national camp to prepare the country's best visually impaired cricketers for what would be a difficult yet exciting voyage to Pakistan. We've been working really hard. It hasn't been easy, but the team is doing very well," said Johan Schroeder, South Africa's 2013 Blind Cricketer of the Year and South African Blind Cricket national team member. “Being at the training camp has helped me understand that there is genuine concern and appreciation for each other among the players. To us, cricket is not only a game where champions are built. On and off the pitch friendships are also being forged, even on the opposing team," he said. The unabashed enthusiasm for the game is what stands out about blind cricket. As players practiced at the Haron Bridge Retreat Cricket fields, they eagerly anticipated sweep shots, committed their bodies on the line, and celebrated wickets with zeal. “We are really thankful to the City of Johannesburg and other sponsors for their help and support as players prepare for Pakistan; these gestures mean a great deal to us and the players," said Isaac Bidla, the president of Central Gauteng Lions Blind Cricket. “Playing blind cricket teaches players a lot; not only do they enjoy themselves, but they also develop mobility, the capacity to respond to sound, and fair play." All Covid-19 regulations were followed on arrival, and all team members were required to take a Covid-19 test to ensure safety throughout the course of the training camp. (Thanks to Ntombifuthi Junerose Nkosi).

Bipin Dani Former Sri Lanka captain and a member of the 1996 World Cup winning team Aravinda de Silva, who is now in Australia on a personal visit, was invited at the launch of the fixtures of the ICC Men's T-20 World Cup to be played there later this year.  This was revealed by Sri Lanka-born Vernon Tissera, who now works as an event photographer with Sports N News channel in Australia. The ceremony which was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where the final this year is scheduled to be played on November 13, was also attended by Aaaron Finch, Australia's 2021 T-20 World Cup winning captain, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Hussey and England's Michael Vaughan. Members of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) also discussed with the participants about the possible outcome of this year's final.  While describing his feelings for winning the 50-Over World Cup in 1996, the former captain also expressed confidence in the present young team of Sri Lanka. "This young side has a lot of potential and this World Cup is almost nine months away, it is all to do with momentum and confidence. I think the team can be well prepared with the training in this period and do well", he said in the video, sent by another Sri Lankan Johann Dias Jayasinha, who is a National Operations and Media manager.

Sports Bulletin ISLAMABAD:-Captain Chamari Athapaththu produced a superb all-round effort to help Sri Lanka score a fine 22-run victory over Bangladesh and win the ICC Commonwealth Games Qualifier 2022 at the Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. The last match of the five-team tournament, played to decide the final qualifying spot at this year’s Commonwealth Games, saw Athapaththu score 48 runs to propel Sri Lanka to 136 for six before returning figures of three for 17 to restrict Bangladesh to 114 for five. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) will announce the cricket line-up in due course, once Sri Lanka are officially confirmed as the eighth team in Birmingham, joining Australia, Barbados, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa, who have already qualified for the Games. Athapaththu did everything right today right from winning the toss in the crucial fixture. Electing to bat, Sri Lanka were kept quiet by opening bowlers Salma Khatun and Soraya Azmim in the first few overs. Azmim was rewarded for consistently hitting hard lengths when Vishmi Gunaratne lobbed her to Fargana Hoque at mid-off to leave Sri Lanka at 14 for one in the fourth over. A few balls later, Athapaththu slashed Azmim over the infield for four before unleashing a barrage of sweep shots against Bangladesh’s spinners, two of which cleared the ropes for six. Off-spinner Salma Khatun, the only bowler up to that point to keep Athapaththu in check, was brought back into the attack. She responded by trapping Hasini Perera plumb in front with the score 61 for two in the ninth over. Athapaththu muscled Rumana over extra cover for six as she approached what could have been her third half-century of the tournament. However, she missed out on her fifty when she tried to repeat the shot, only managing an edge through to Shamima Sultana behind the stumps. Unsurprisingly, the fall of Athapaththu’s wicket allowed Bangladesh’s spinners to claw back before Nilakshi de Silva and Anushka Sanjeewani helped Sri Lanka accumulate 42 runs in the last five overs to take the score to 136 for six. In reply, Bangladesh benefitted from a dropped catch and four overthrows in the first couple of overs. Shamima Sultana was caught in the circle by Udeshika Prabodhani off the bowling of Ama Kanchana to leave Bangladesh at 18 for one in the third over. However, left-handed opener Murshida Khatun continued her fine form by clearing the infield for boundaries on three occasions during a Powerplay that fetched Bangladesh 46 runs. However, Sri Lanka’s spin quartet of Athapaththu, Inoka Ranaweera, Sachini Nisansala, and Kavisha Dilhari put the squeeze on Bangladesh, who could not score a single boundary in the next six overs. Athapaththu’s arm ball trapped Murshida in front to leave Bangladesh at 71 for two after 12 overs, requiring a further 66 runs off 48 balls for victory. Despite a dropped catch that went for four and a no-ball from Athapaththu, Bangladesh were unable to fight back as Sri Lanka completed a comfortable victory. Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana identified what went wrong for her team. “They managed to score extra boundaries in the last three overs. And we could not do well with the bat,” she said. Athapaththu was particularly impressed with her bowlers in this game. “I had complete confidence in our experienced bowling attack. The plan was to bowl lots of dot balls to exert pressure,” she said. Athapaththu was awarded the Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament awards. “I wanted to bat through, but I’m reasonably happy with the start I got today, giving a platform for the other players to compile a challenging total,” she said. Brief Scores: Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 22 runs. Sri Lanka 136/6 in 20 Overs; Bangladesh 114/5 in 20 Overs. Player of the Match: Chamari Athapaththu