U19 girls suffer last-ball defeat to Sri Lanka

Bangladesh Under-19 Women’s team tasted a heartbreaking four-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in a last-ball thriller in a Tri-nation series in Faisalabad, Pakistan on Monday.

Opting to bat first, Bangladesh amassed 119-7 in their 20-over allocation with captain Sadia Islam top-scoring for the side with a 22 ball-39.

Bangladesh made Sri Lanka toil hard but eventually lost in the last ball, as Sri Lanka reached 120-6 in exactly 20 overs.

Bangladesh made a horrible start to the innings, losing opener Mymuna Naher and Achen Jannat cheaply before Bibi Ayesha was dismissed for duck, leaving the side at precariously placed at 28-3 in the eighth over.

Nishita Akter Nishi and captain Sadia Islam then steadied the innings with 56-run for the fourth wicket, which pushed the total 100.

The late-order batters failed to capitalise on Sadia and Nishi’s partnership as Bangladesh failed to post a substantial score.

The bowlers kept Bangladesh in the contest, striking in regular intervals, keeping Sri Lanka at bay.

However, they could not break through the resistance of opener Sanjana Kavindi, whose 48 off 46 was didn’t allow Bangladesh to take over the contest.

Her innings was instrumental in taking the game to the last over where Danodya Sewmini and Limanasa Thilakarathna held their nerves to seal the deal in the last ball.

Nishi claimed 2-26 and made 26 with the bat but her stellar all-round performance eventually went in vain.

The defeat came after they beat hosts Pakistan U19 Women’s team by 30 runs in the first match.