Sri Lanka down Bangladesh in rain-curtailed nail-biter

Bangladesh suffered a three-run defeat against Sri Lanka in their fifth match of the Women's Asia Cup at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Chasing 41 in seven overs in a rain-curtailed encounter, the Tigresses buckled under pressure and lost their way in the last couple of overs to end their innings at 37 for seven in seven overs.

Despite losing both openers inside three overs and with only 12 runs on board, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty and Rumana Ahmed stitched a 15-run and the home side had the upper hand, needing 15 from 12 deliveries with eight wickets in hand.

Bangladesh captain Joty (R) reacts after dismissal. Photo: BCB

However, wickets kept falling as the Tigresses aimed for the big shots. The sixth over saw four wickets fall and the equation was reduced to a challenging 12 off the last over but the home side batters were not able to strike a single boundary. Player-of-the-match Inoka Ranaweera grabbed four wickets in two overs while conceding only seven runs. 

Sri Lanka's Ranaweera reacts after post-match presentation. Photo: BCB

Earlier, Sri Lanka were sent in to bat first and the island nation scored 83 for five in 18.1 after a 30-min rain stopped proceedings, which meant DLS method had to be introduced to give the home side a reduced target.

Nilakshi de Silva top-scored for Sri Lanka with an unbeaten 31-ball 28. For Bangladesh, Rumana Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh with two scalps for 14 runs in three overs. 

The defending champions now find themselves in a tricky situation to reach the semifinals of the regional event. The Tigresses would hope that Thailand lose to India today and they manage to beat UAE tomorrow to seal the semi-finals berth as the fourth-placed team.