Fatima four-for and Ameen-Maroof fifties help Pakistan dominate Sri Lanka in 1st ODI
A 143-run stand between Ameen and Maroof earned Pakistan a victory with 49 balls to spare
A 143-run stand between Ameen and Maroof earned Pakistan a victory with 49 balls to spare
Scorer: K Vairavan | Commentator: Ekanth and Danyal
Today's game had moments that faintly promised ebbs and flows but Sri Lanka could not get going to drive home any significant advantage. Pakistan were clinical and will take lead. The two teams will be back day after tomorrow for the second game in Karachi. We'll bring you the live action here on ESPNcricinfo. For now, it's goodbye from me, Ekanth, on behalf of my fellow commentator, Danyal Rasool, and our scorer, K Vairavan.
Bismah Maroof, Pakistan Captain: We want these points and we worked hard on a hot day. Credit to Sidra. It got low when we were batting, the bowling was excellent too. I'm trying to finish the job and support Sidra, who played really well. We'll look to keep up the intensity and win the following matches too.
Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka Captain: Our batters did not play positively. The wicket is excellent but we lost early wickets, the run outs were bad. Kavisha played a good knock and is a positive. We have to stick to our plans and play freely - that's my message for the team.
Ghulam Fatima is POTM for the spell of 10-2-4-21: I had a wish to play in a home series. I was trying to execute what I knew and it came off. I draw inspiration from Shane Warne.
4:11 pm: The players shake hands before making their way back. Pakistan chase down the score with minimum fuss and take the first match to get points on the ICC Women's Championship 2022-25 Table. With the bat, it was brought about by Sidra Amin who effectively took it to the end and skipper, Bismah Maroof, who literally did it. Their 143-run partnership should be a confidence-booster for the team going forward. It came on the back of Muneeba Ali who started promisingly but got out attempting a big shot. Nothing really of note for the Sri Lankan bowlers. Oshadi Ranasinghe's approach of bowling around the wicket and bowling into the wicket looked interesting but wasn't as effective. The balls did not keep low as frequently as it may have threatened to do early on and their fielding was subpar. Presentation ceremony coming soon.
Sidra Amin b Ranasinghe 76 (163m 119b 7x4 0x6) SR: 63.86
This should be the last over
A 143-run stand between Ameen and Maroof earned Pakistan a victory with 49 balls to spare