Bismah stars in one-run loss to Sri Lanka

KARACHI: Pakistan Women’s World Twenty20 campaign got off to a nail-biting one-run loss to Sri Lanka in St Kitts on Thursday.

Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka were skittled out for 108 in the final over of their innings with Pakistan captain Sana Mir bowling an economical fourover spell that yielded only 12 runs and brought two wickets. Nida Dar provided late support to the captain with a brace off her two overs while giving away ten runs.

Pakistan’s reply, however, was derailed almost immediately by the Sri Lankan fastbowlers as they slumped to 20 for three. Mir, then, shared a 38-run partnership with Bismah Maroof (42 off 41) who topscored for Pakistan but a flurry of late wickets in the final three overs resulted in Pakistan falling agonisingly short of Sri Lanka’s total. In their second match of the campaign, Pakistan will take on India today. The Indians, semi-finalists in last year’s event, lost to New Zealand by ten runs in their opening match of the tournament.