By Jay Dansinghani

Madushika Methtananda took four wickets and hit the winning runs to help Sri Lanka-A chase 96 against UAE in the first game of the Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

The afternoon contest saw Bangladesh-A score a challenging 148 for six before limiting Malaysia to 51 for eight to seal a comprehensive 97-run win.

UAE vs Sri Lanka A

After winning the toss and batting first, UAE got off to a flier as Theertha Satish pounced on anything too straight to score a pair of boundaries on the leg side. After she was caught by Imesha Dulani off the bowling of Malsha Shehani, Esha Oza assumed the mantle of aggressor, pumping two maximums over long on.

At 63 for one in the ninth over, UAE looked good for a total in the region of 140.

Oza, however, would be dismissed for 39 after trying to loft Methtananda down the ground only to get bowled in the process. Her dismissal sparked a dramatic collapse that saw the UAE lose their last nine wickets for a mere 32 runs.

Chasing 97 for victory, Sri Lanka-A looked in control, reaching a score of 39 for one after seven overs.

Yet, Oza would once again prove to be a thorn in their flesh. After noticing Kaushini Nuthyangana charging down the track, she fired in a wide delivery, which keeper Judith Peter collected to stump the right-hander. Oza would have another after she trapped Vishmi Gunaratne in front for 21.

With the required rate rising, Indhuja Nandakumar dismissed both Dulani and Sri Lanka-A skipper Sathya Sandeepani in the same over to leave the opposition in a spot of bother at 70 for six at the conclusion of the 16^th over.

With 26 needed off 24, Sri Lanka-A ran hard, turning ones into twos. In spite of suffering two run outs in the closing stages of the innings, Methtananda and Rashmi Silva reduced the equation to 1 off 2.

Methtananda then top edged a delivery toward Chaya Mughal at cover who fumbled the ball, allowing the eventual player of the match to seal victory for her team.

Brief Scores:

Sri Lanka-A 96 for 7 in 19.5 Overs (Gunaratne 21, Dulani 15, Oza 2-10, Nandakumar 2-11) beat UAE 95 ALL OUT in 19.3 Overs (Oza 39, Methtananda 4-16) by 3 wickets with 0.1 overs to spare

Scorecards and Livestream

Malaysia vs Bangladesh A

After winning the toss and batting first, Bangladesh-A got off to a quick start, picking up 23 in their first three overs.

Malaysia hit back with four quick wickets, including that of Rubya Haider, who mishit a shot that was juggled by Yusrina Yakoop, who recovered well to take the catch on her second grab.

At 53 for 4 after ten overs, Bangladesh-A needed to stabilize their innings. Shorna Akter launched a brief, yet effective counter-attack, which included a lofted shot over the long on rope off Ainna Hamizah.

After she was dismissed for 20, Murshida Khatun took on the role of aggressor, taking advantage of a procession of full tosses bowled by Malaysia. She got to her fifty by pumping Mas Elysa down the ground for four before cutting her away for three. Finishing on 148 at the end of their 20 overs, Bangladesh-A had further solidified their tag as pre-match favourites.

Chasing an improbable target, Malaysia was immediately forced onto the back foot when Wan Julia missed the first ball of the innings to get bowled by Marufa Akter.

Christina Baret picked up a fortuitous boundary when she edged Akter down to third man for four.

This would prove to be the solitary boundary of the innings as Malaysia buckled under the pressure created by the opposition spinners who made optimal use of a dry surface.

Arguably the highlight of their bowling performance was when left-arm spinner Sanjida Akter spun a delivery away from Mahirah Izzati, which clipped her off stump to reduce Malaysia to 25 for 4 in the tenth over.

In spite of Ainna Hamizah batting through the innings for an unbeaten 13, Malaysia could only score a whisker more than a third of Bangladesh A’s score.

Murshida Khatun was adjudged Player-of-the-match for her gritty 57* off 44 balls.

Brief Scores:

Bangladesh-A 148 for 6 in 20 Overs (Murshida 57*, Aisya Eleesa 2-20, Mahirah 2-21) beat Malaysia 51 for 8 in 20 Overs (Ainna Hamizah 13*, Rabeya Khan 2-7, Sanjida Akter 1-6) by 97 runs

Scorecards and Livestream