COLOMBO: Sri Lanka and New Zealand were forced to share points in their Women’s World Cup fixture after heavy rain had the final say in Colombo on Tuesday, washing out play after the innings break.
The hosts had done the hard yards, posting a competitive 258-6 and fancying their chances with a spin heavy attack on a pitch tailor made for the slow bowlers. The total was also the highest in the Colombo leg of the competition so far.
The innings belonged to lower order dynamo Nilakshika Silva, who threw caution to the wind to smash the fastest half-century of this World Cup.
Coming in at number six, she turned the tide with a whirlwind knock, reaching her fifty in just 26 balls, bettering the previous mark of 34 deliveries set by Bangladesh’s Shorna Akter earlier in the week.
It was also a new Sri Lankan record, eclipsing Nilakshika’s own milestone of 28 balls.
It was her fourth half-century in ODIs and she crossed the 1,000 run mark in the process, becoming only the eighth Sri Lankan to do so.
For once, the hosts didn’t have to lean solely on Chamari Athapaththu’s broad shoulders.
However, the skipper returned to form with her 20th ODI fifty and stitched together an opening stand of 101 with Vishmi Gunaratne, who made a fluent 42.
That solid foundation allowed Hasini Perera (44) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (26) to consolidate before Nilakshika’s late fireworks took the innings from steady to sizzling.
Sri Lanka plundered 80 runs in the last 10 overs, with 16 coming off the final over as they finished with a flourish.
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine picked up three wickets, but may have missed a trick by under bowling left-armer Bree Illing, who extracted lively bounce and pace to claim two scalps in just seven overs.
The Kiwis will stay put in Colombo to face Pakistan on Saturday while Sri Lanka take on an in-form South Africa on Friday.
Rain stops Sri Lanka’s momentum in New Zealand washout at World Cup
https://arab.news/2r5n2
Rain stops Sri Lanka’s momentum in New Zealand washout at World Cup
- The innings belonged to lower order dynamo Nilakshika Silva
- It was also a new Sri Lankan record, eclipsing Nilakshika’s own milestone of 28 balls
Jordan make history as they reach Arab Cup final for first time with narrow victory over Saudi Arabia
- Green Falcons left to rue squandered chances as they miss out on what would have been their first final appearance in the competition since 2002
- Semi-final victory comes during a stellar year for Jordan in which they also qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever
DOHA: A header by Nizar Al-Rashdan gave Jordan a 1-0 victory in a tense match against Saudi Arabia on Monday and sent them to their first Arab Cup final.
Deprived of the services of Yazan Al-Naimat, who suffered a devastating knee injury in their quarter-final against Iraq, Jordan delivered a brave performance, greatly limiting the Saudi attacking threat across the 90 minutes.
The semi-final at Al-Bayt Stadium in Qatar attracted the highest attendance of the tournament so far, a vibrant crowd of 62,825. Both sides began cautiously, with Jordan lining up in a robust 5-4-1 formation that sought to restrict Salem Al-Dawsari and Saleh Abou Al-Shamat in the final third.
The game opened up a little after the break, as a tactical change from Jordan helped them gain greater control on the counterattack. Mohammed Abu Zrayq in particular proved influential down the right flank as he stretched the Saudi defense and gave the Nashama more attacking momentum.
The decisive moment, however, came from the opposite side. Mahmoud Al-Mardi delivered a dipping cross from the left, catching the Green Falcons’ defense off guard, and Al-Rashdan rose to head home the only goal of the match in the 66th minute.
Saudi Arabia responded with a series of substitutions, including the introduction of Al-Qadsiah midfielder Musab Al-Juwayr. The former Al-Hilal player helped link play between Al-Dawsari and Feras Al-Brikan down the left channel as the Saudis pressed for the equalizer.
Al-Brikan and then Saleh Al-Shehri both went close but Yazeed Abulaila stood firm in goal, producing a crucial save just minutes after Jordan took the lead.
The match ended on a particularly sour note for Saudi Arabia when last man Waleed Al-Ahmed was shown a straight red card in the closing moments after bringing down an opponent to halt a counterattack, as Jordan saw out their historic victory.
They now face Morocco, who earlier in the day defeated the UAE 3-0, in the final on Thursday.
