Sri Lanka with a win in the 2nd Twenty20 International (T20I) has drawn level to the 3-match series against Bangladesh. The final game of the series, the decider, will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Columbo, on the 12th of April, 2023, at 1:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).
In the 2nd T20I, Bangladesh struggled as they lost 4 of their 5 batters on modest scores, with the highest being 18. A subsequent lower-middle order collapse led to Bangladesh being bowled out for 100. Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu lead the chase contributing 33 runs, while Harshitha Samarawickrama (29*) and Kavisha Dilhari (20*) guided Sri Lanka to a comfortable seven-wicket win.
Squads:
Sri Lanka – Chamari Athapaththu (C), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshi de Silva, Hansima Karunaratne, Hasini Perera, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Prasadini Weerakkody, Tharika Sewwandi, Kawya Kavindi, Rashmi Silva, Malsha Shehani, Inoshi Fernando, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Udeshika Prabodhani, Kavisha Dilhari, Sathya Sandeepani, Imesha Dulani
Bangladesh – Nigar Sultana (C, WK), Shorna Akter, Nahida Akter, Jahanara Alam, Disha Biswas, Fargana Hoque, Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, Murshida Khatun, Sultana Khatun, Sanjida Akter Meghla, Lata Mondal, Ritu Moni, Sobhana Mostary, Shamima Sultana, Fariha Trisna
Players to watch out:
Harshitha Samarawickrama
The 24-year-old in 37 T20I outings has scored 701 runs, at an average of 22.61, and with 3 fifties to her name, has got the highest of 81. Harshitha looked in sublime touch during the 2 T20Is thus far scoring 45 and 28* respectively.
Sugandika Kumari
The 31-year-old, in T20Is, in 59 innings with the ball has struck 40 scalps, while in 24 innings has scored 82 runs. Featuring in the 2nd T20I, Sugandika produced figures of 2/14 and will be crucial for Sri Lanka in the decider.
Sobhana Mostary
The 21-year-old in 16 T20Is, has scored 149 runs and has got the highest of 29. Successive starts in the T20Is is what Sobhana has got, and there’ll be nothing more fitting than a good knock to close out the series.
Rabeya Khan
The 18-year-old, making her way to the top through Emerging and the Under-19 teams, has struck 7 wickets in 5 T20I outings. In the previous couple T20Is, she’s registered figures of 1/23 (4) and 1/11 (4).
Pitch:
The 22 yards at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Columbo, make up a balanced center wicket that’s got both runs for batters and wickets for bowlers, especially the spinners. The slow nature of the pitch sees the venue with an average total of only 92 runs and the sluggish pitch demands a patient approach.
Weather:
With a 50% chance of precipitation during match hours, the conditions aren’t favorable for a game of cricket, and hopefully, the skies will clear. The temperature is expected to hover around 29°C with moderate winds and a humidity level of 82%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Nigar Sultana, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Sobhana Mostary, Chamari Athapaththu, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Kavisha Dilhari, Rabeya Khan, Fahima Khatun, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani
Match details:
Date – May 12, 2023
Time – 1:00 PM IST
Venue – Sinhalese Sports Club, Columbo
Broadcast – The 3rd and final T20I of the bilateral series will be streamed live and for free on the FanCode app and website.