Sana Mir starred with the ball once again alongside spinners Nashra Sandhu and Nida Dar as Pakistan registered a comfortable 108 run win against hosts Sri Lanka in the 3rd and final Women’s Championship ODI between the two sides at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium.
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Sri Lanka lost the toss for the 2nd straight time and their top order was found wanting once again, crumbling from 49/0 to 49/4 in the space of two overs after a slow yet steady start from Nipuni Hansika and Chamari Polgampola. The pair seemed to be intent on surviving at the crease and the ploy worked for a while as they were able to pick up some useful boundaries once the 1st powerplay was done. However, 20-year-old Nashra Sandhu made the crucial breakthrough for Pakistan, dismissing Polgampola and it was all downhill for Sri Lanka from there.
Sana Mir then got into the act, dismissing top scorer Hansika thanks to a diving catch from Diana Baig and then had Rebecca Vandort caught at slip in the same over. The prize wicket of Chamari Atapattu was captured by the young Sandhu as she held on to a full-blooded drive from the left hander off her own bowling to reduce Sri Lanka to 49/4 in just over 15 overs. Incidentally this was the 3rd time Sandhu dismissed Atapattu in this series.
The hosts never recovered from that point, losing wickets at regular intervals and when Sashikala Siriwardene was dismissed with the score on 54, it was all but over for Sri Lanka.
Mir bowled with skill and would be disappointed that she missed out on a 5-wicket haul for the 2nd time in 3 days but she along with Sandhu spun the game around for Pakistan just when Sri Lanka was beginning to look threatening with the bat.
Photo Album – Sri Lanka vs Pakistan – ICC Women’s Championship – 3rd ODI 2018
There was no fightback in sight from the hosts and yet again it was the final pair of Sugandika Kumari and Inoka Ranaweera that stuck around, surviving nearly 7 overs in the middle as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 107.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka put on an improved performance with the ball, restricting a strong Pakistan batting line-up to 215 despite a good start from their openers Nahida Khan and Muneeba Ali.
Ultimately it was the pair of veterans, Inoka Ranaweera and Sashikala Siriwardene who put the brakes on the Pakistan line-up, picking up 3 wickets between them for 74 runs.
The hosts were poor in the field once again and one could only wonder how much they would have been chasing if the ground fielding had been better. Nevertheless, some discipline bowling in the death overs from Ama Kanchana and Sripali Weerakkody meant that Pakistan managed just 45 runs in the last 10 overs of their innings.
Nahida Khan top-scored for the visitors with 46 and the total of 215 proved more than enough ultimately as Pakistan ran out winners by a comfortable margin on 108 runs.
