In the 6th match of the Pakistan Women’s Under-19s T20 Series in Faisalabad, Sri Lanka Women Under-19 delivered a clinical, all-round performance to outclass Pakistan Women Under-19 by 9 wickets.
Taking the crease first, Pakistan Women U19 got off to a promising start through their opening pair, Komal Khan and Ravail Farhan. Together, they laid a steady foundation with a 57-run opening partnership across the first ten overs, thwarting the early Sri Lankan attack. Ravail Farhan anchored her end smoothly, scoring a brisk 26 off 26 balls featuring 4 crisp boundaries before being caught by keeper Kavindi off Nethmi Upeksha in the 11th over at the 10.2 mark.
Joining Komal Khan, Shahar Bano immediately injected urgency into the innings, smashing a lively 14 off just 9 balls with 1 four and 1 six to push the score to 80. However, her electric stay ended abruptly via a sharp run-out by Shashini Gimhani at 13.2 overs. This triggered a massive middle-and-lower-order collapse dominated by disastrous miscommunication between the wickets.
While opening wicketkeeper-batter Komal Khan fought valiantly to register a classy half-century, scoring 54 off 59 balls with 7 boundaries, partnerships repeatedly vanished at the other end. Zoofishan Ayyaz scored 7 off 13 balls before being run out by Methsara to leave the team at 97 for 3 in 16.4 overs. Off the very next ball, skipper Fizza Fiaz was dismissed for a diamond duck of 0 off 0 balls via another run-out execution by Aseni Thalagune at 97 for 4 in 16.5 overs.
Sri Lanka’s tight bowling tightened the screws further when Chamodhi Herath finally ended Komal Khan’s resilience, getting her caught by Thalagune at 106 for 5 in 18.5 overs. Down the order, Areesha Ansari contributed 5 off 8 balls before falling caught by Methsara off Danodya Sewmini at 108 for 6 in 19.3 overs. The final overs saw two more run-out dismissals: Memoona Khalid with 1 off 2 balls, run out by Balasuriya at 109 for 7 in 19.5 overs, and Qamrosh Farhan with 2 off 3 balls, run out by Praboda at 110 for 8 in 19.6 overs. Rozina Akram remained unbeaten on 0 off 0 balls, leaving Pakistan Women U19 with a total of 110 for 8 in their 20 overs.
The Sri Lankan bowlers kept runs under strict surveillance throughout the innings. Chamodhi Herath finished with outstanding figures of 1 for 10 in 4 overs at an economy of 2.50. Danodya Sewmini took 1 for 14 in 2 overs, and Nethmi Upeksha chipped in with 1 for 19 in 3 overs. Chamudi Praboda was immensely economical with 0 for 16 in 4 overs at an economy of 4.00. Supportive spells came from Aseni Thalagune with 0 for 30 in 4 overs, Limansa Thilakarathna with 0 for 12 in 2 overs, and Pramudi Methsara with 0 for 9 in 1 over.
Chasing a target of 111 runs, Sri Lanka Women U19 turned the second innings into a masterclass in aggressive top-order batting. Openers Sanjana Kavindi and Vimoksha Balasuriya took absolute control from ball one, constructing a dominant 108-run opening partnership that completely shut Pakistan out of the game. Sanjana Kavindi spearheaded the attack with a blistering 61 off 46 balls, striking 8 boundaries and 1 maximum at a strike rate of 132.60.
She was eventually cleaned up by Pakistan’s Mahnoor Zeb at 14.5 overs, providing Pakistan their only breakthrough. By then, however, the target was well within arm’s reach. Vimoksha Balasuriya played a wonderfully composed anchor role, remaining unbeaten on 43 off 46 balls with 4 boundaries. Following Kavindi’s departure, Limansa Thilakarathna (0*) joined Balasuriya, as Sri Lanka comfortably crossed the finish line at 111 for 1 in 15.2 overs, winning by 9 wickets with 28 balls to spare.
Pakistan’s bowling attack struggled to find answers or break partnerships on the day. Mahnoor Zeb was the sole wicket-taker with 1 for 18 in 4 overs at an economy of 4.50. Rozina Akram bowled economically without luck, yielding 0 for 23 in 4 overs. The rest of the attack found the going tough as Barira Saif conceded 0 for 19 in 2.2 overs, Shahar Bano went for 0 for 17 in 2 overs, and Memoona Khalid proved expensive, giving away 0 for 33 in 3 overs.
Loves all things female cricket