Junior Tigresses finish runners-up after four-run defeat to Sri Lanka in tri-series final

Bangladesh Under-19 women’s cricket team finished runners-up in the tri-nation T20 series after losing the final to Sri Lanka by four runs at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on Friday, falling short on 154 while chasing 159 despite captain Sadia Islam’s fifty.

The equation read 19 from the last over after Farzana fell in the 19th. Sadia Akter hit a six to raise hopes but was dismissed on the fifth ball, and Jannatul Ferdous’s four off the last delivery only trimmed the margin.

Bangladesh needed 29 from the last 12 balls when Sadia Akter, who made 35 from 22 balls with three sixes, took charge. A 28-run stand with Farzana had revived the chase in the closing overs, but the equation was simply too steep.

Captain Sadia Islam anchored the recovery, top-scoring with 59 from 36 balls, including three fours and five sixes. She added 67 for the fourth wicket with Nishita Akter Nishi, who made 32 from 33 balls before being run out, dragging Bangladesh back into the contest.

The chase began disastrously. Openers Maimuna Naher and Achena Jannat both fell for ducks after facing two and seven balls, and Shirina Khatun managed six from seven, leaving Bangladesh 21 for three and well behind the required rate for 159.

Kavindi fell with the score on 102, after which Nethmi Upeksha made 22 from 25 balls and Peiris contributed a quick 28 from 23 to carry Sri Lanka beyond 150. Balasuriya had earlier made 23 off 15 before the openers’ stand ended.

Sri Lanka posted 158 for six after being put in. Openers Sanjana Kavindi and Vimuksha Balasuriya added 49 in five overs, and Kavindi went on to 64 from 44 balls, with two sixes and seven fours, her fifth career half-century.

Farzana Yasmin, Nishita Akter Nishi, Jannatul Ferdous and Afrin Mim took one wicket each for Bangladesh, who won the toss and fielded first, but Sri Lanka’s total still left a challenging chase of 159 runs on the board.

It was a bittersweet end to a campaign in which the Junior Tigresses beat Pakistan twice in the group stage but could not beat Sri Lanka in any of their three meetings, including the final.