At one point, it seemed Pakistan had little chance of escaping Sharjah with a win. Bowled out for 116, with no batter surpassing captain Fatima Sana’s crucial 30 off 20 balls at No. 7, and losing key bowler Diana Baig to injury after just one ball, Pakistan appeared out of the contest halfway through.
However, Sri Lanka had no answer to Pakistan’s spin attack, led by offspinner Omaima Sohail, who took 2 for 17. Left-arm spinners Nashra Sandhu (2 wickets) and Sadia Iqbal (3 wickets) contributed, while Sana’s medium pace earned her two wickets, capping off an all-round performance. Baig, who had been dealing with a calf injury, took no further part in the match, but Sana stepped in to finish her over.
Sana, who took over the captaincy from Nida Dar in August, credited her leadership approach for the victory. “I decided I would lead from the front,” she said. At just 22, this was her fourth T20 match in charge, and her captaincy impressed Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who praised her post-match.
Sri Lanka’s Athapaththu, in excellent form, took three wickets for 18 runs but was dismissed early for 6, derailing Sri Lanka’s chase. Only Nilakshika Silva (22) and opener Vishmi Gunaratne (20) managed to reach double figures, as Pakistan’s bowling stifled their run rate on the slow Sharjah pitch.
With Sri Lanka set to face defending champions Australia next, and Pakistan taking on India in Dubai, both teams will face tougher challenges ahead.
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