ICC Women’s World Cup 2017, Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: 5 Talking Points
Sri Lanka won a low scoring thriller against Pakistan in the ICC Women’s world cup yesterday to register their first win in the tournament. The two Asian nations locked horns against each at Leicester to decide who would finish the tournament at the bottom of the table.
Riding on Diana Baig’s effective bowling Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to 221 runs and were in control of the chase until run outs and some clinical bowling from the Sri Lankans derailed them.
In the end, Pakistan fell short of 15 runs and ended their World Cup campaign with seven defeats from seven matches. Sri Lanka who were also knocked out of the tournament would look at this hard fought victory as a consolation prize and would be happy to have a sweet end to their disappointing tour so far.
This inconsequential and low scoring game was full of drama and had plenty of exciting moments. Here we look at the five talking points from this encounter between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
#5 Diana Baig made the ball talk in the first spell
Diana Baig does plenty of things. She is an international cricketer who bowls controlled and accurate medium pace and is also effective in the batting department. On top of that, she has also represented her nation in football.
At Leicester yesterday, she displayed her skills of bowling with the new ball. On a slow pitch which offered plenty of help for the bowlers, the right-arm bowler exploited the conditions and tormented the Sri Lankan top order with her swing and movement off the seam.
The 21-year-old began the carnage in her first over itself. On the fourth ball of the over she got better of Nipuni Hansika and dismantled her stumps. In the next over she found the outside edge of Hasini Perera which was caught safely by the wicket-keeper. The two blows reduced Sri Lanka to 18 for two down.
In the next three overs, Baig kept the noose tight with her consistent and probing bowling. In her first spell of five overs, she conceded 20 runs and claimed two wickets to give her team the perfect start for this match.