LIVE: Pakistan remove Athapaththu early to set up nailbiter

Match Centre and Scorecard

Pakistan’s captain Fatima Sana made a crucial early breakthrough to remove Sri Lanka opener Chamari Athapathu and give hope that her side can successfully defend a first-innings total of 116.

Earlier, Sri Lanka’s bowlers kept Pakistan in check, taking frequent wickets to restrict a batting lineup that proved unexpectedly fluid, with big-hitting skipper Sana top-scoring with 30 from 20 balls down the order.

Three bowlers stood out, with Chamari Athapaththu almost bagging a hat-trick and finishing with figures of 3/18, with Udeshika Prabodhani and Sugandika Kumari also taking three wickets – 3/19 and 3/20 respectively.

The story of the first innings

Pakistan’s new captain Fatima Sana enjoyed an initial positive in her first moment in charge of the team at a major tournament, winning the toss and opting to bat first in Sharjah. But Sri Lanka’s bowlers kept Pakistan in check in the first innings, taking frequent wickets to restrict a batting order that proved unexpectedly fluid.

It was a strong start for the Asia Cup champions, who removed both openers through the impressive Sugandika Kumari, who had both Gull Feroza (2 from 4) and Muneeba Ali (11 from 14) caught behind to restrict Pakistan in the powerplay.

And a middle-order recovery was unable to have a huge impact as Chamari Athapaththu removed Sidra Amin (12 from 10), before Omaima Sohail (18 from 19) and Nida Dar (23 from 22) were dismissed by Kavisha Dilhari and Udeshika Prabodhani respectively.

Pakistan’s batting strategy was clear to see as captain Fatima Sana and Aliya Riaz were pushed down the order, revealing their status as designated ‘finishers’, coming in at seven and eight respectively, two places lower than initially carded.

But the prospect of a late flurry was impacted by Athapaththu’s double strike, as she removed Tuba Hassan and Riaz off consecutive deliveries, narrowly missing out on a hat-trick as she fizzed a gem past the outside edge of Diana Baig.

Pakistan skipper Sana did manage to boost her side to a three-figure total, slamming 30 runs off just 20 balls as she showed her quality down the order. But wickets continued to tumble, with Pakistan bowled out off the final ball of the 20 overs, finishing with a score of 116.

The Teams

Pakistan: Muneeba Ali (wk), Gull Feroza, Sidra Amin, Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana (c), Tuba Hassan, Nashra Sandhu, Diana Baig, Sadia Iqbal, Omaima Sohail

More on Pakistan's squad announcement

Sri Lanka: Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Nilakshi de Silva, Hasini Perera, Sugandika Kumari, Inoshi Priyadharshani, Sachini Nisansala, Udeshika Prabodhani

More on Sri Lanka's squad announcement

The World Cup will see 23 matches held in total over 18 days, with all matches in the two host cities of Dubai and Sharjah.

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