On Monday, the Asian giants Sri Lanka and Bangladesh wrapped up their World T20 campaign in a dead rubber at Melbourne.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Bangladesh was dwindled down to a paltry 91-8 in 20 overs, thanks to Shashikala Siriwardene’s bowling brilliance. Siriwardene, 35, played her last game today and put a sweet end to her 17- year old career with excellent bowling figures of 4-16 in four overs. The office has had a fantastic run (seven wickets in four matches) in the tournament and continued to do well for her side in the last game of the group stage. Achini Kulasuriya (2-19) bowled well in tandem with Siriwardene to restrict the Bangladeshis to a sub-par score. Apart from wicket-keeper Nigar Sultana (39), none of the other Bangladesh batters looked in shape. Sultana fought hard but eventually ran out of partners and thus failed to take her side to a challenging score.
In reply, Sri Lanka chased down the modest target of 92 in just 15.3 overs, winning the match by nine wickets. The opening pair of Hasini Perera (39 not out) and skipper Chamari Athapaththu (30) stitched a 51-run partnership to provide a solid start to the run chase before Athapaththu was stumped. Wicket-keeper Anushka Sanjeewani (16 not out) joined hands with Perera to see her side through. Nahida Akhter (1-18) was the only wicket-taker who picked up a solitary wicket.
17 Years of International Cricket – Shashikala Siriwardene gets a perfect farewell, retires winning player of the match for her career-best bowling spell.
Carried SL women’s cricket team and is one of the best ambassadors for women’s cricket.
Thank You Shashikala#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/aQ4n8xJD6U
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) March 2, 2020
The clash of the Asian giants puts an end to their World T20 campaign. Both the teams will be disappointed with their performance and would have expected to cause some upsets in the tourney. Though Sri Lanka managed to pull out a win in its last match, Bangladesh had a horrendous run over the last 12 days.
Congratulations Sri Lanka on winning the final encounter of the league stage. #SLvBAN #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/2u0wMs6rt3
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) March 2, 2020
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will look to take a leaf out of its Asian counterpart India’s book, the team that has been invincible so far in this World T20 and would like to come out strong in the next ICC event.
Yet another heart-warming gesture by New Zealand. Suzie Bates congratulates Shashikala Siriwardena on her outstanding career.
Thank you @Shashikalacrick. Cricket owes you a lot!#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/ewei9EVBJq
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) March 2, 2020
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
