Dominant Sri Lanka make short work of Malaysia
A strong batting performance led by Yasoda Mendis and Hasini Perera, followed by Nilakshi de Silva’s three-wicket burst gave Sri Lanka a 90-run victory over Malaysia, the hosts, in the Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup on Monday 4 June.
Mendis and Nipuni Hansika, the openers, scored 59 runs in under 10 overs to give Sri Lanka a great start after they were asked to bat. Mendis, the more aggressive partner, fell to Sasha Azmi, the best of the Malaysian bowlers, in the 10th over for a 29-ball 36, with four fours and a six, and Hansika went back soon after, run out for a 37-ball 20.
That left Sri Lanka at 66/2 in 11.4 overs, but Anushka Sanjeewani and Perera kept the momentum in Sri Lanka’s favour with 46-run partnership for the third wicket.
Sanjeewani was dismissed with nine balls left in the innings, but only after her 26 in 25 balls had put Sri Lanka in sight of a good score. That came up on cue as Perera opened up, hitting Winifried Duraisingam for fours off each of the last three deliveries of the innings.
Perera ended on a 27-ball 32*, and Duraisingam ended with unflattering figures of none for 39 from her four overs. Sri Lanka finished on 136/3 and then made it two in two matches after their win over Bangladesh on the opening day when they kept the Malaysians to 46/7 in their 20 overs.
It was always going to be a steep ask for the Malaysia batters, and they never managed to give any impetus to their innings.
Oshadi Ranasinghe sent back Yusrina Yaakop in the second over, and though it took till the eighth over for de Silva to pick up her first wicket, that of Duraisingam, Malaysia had only progressed to 14 at that stage.
Christina Baret fought hard with 14 runs, scored off 32 balls, but Mahirah Izzati Ismail (10) was the only other batter to reach double-figures, and with the innings scoring rate never crossing three an over, the game was over well before the final ball was bowled.
De Silva followed up with the wickets of Mas Elysa and Baret, and Shashikala Siriwardene also picked up two wickets to keep Malaysia under the pump.