Priyadharshani stars as Sri Lanka cruise into semis; Bangladesh advance after washout
Inoshi Priyadharshani’s career-best returns of 4 for 10 backed up by a quick 32 from Anushka Sanjeewani helped Sri Lanka brush aside Thailand by eight wickets and advance to the semi-finals of the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Chasing 79 in the rain-reduced 15-overs-a-side quarter-final, Sri Lanka coasted to a win in 10.5 overs.Rain and a wet outfield had delayed the start of the game by close to an hour-and-a-half. Once the weather cleared, Sri Lanka opted to field under grey skies.
Udeshika Prabodhani found some movement in the air, but it was Priyadharshani who inflicted the early damage, accounting for four of the first five wickets to fall. She struck twice in her first over – the second of the innings – dismissing Suwanan Khiaoto and Natthakan Chantham. In her next over, she removed Nannapat Koncharoenkai before accounting for Naruemol Chaiwai with a smart caught and bowled.
At 37 for 6, Thailand were sinking rapidly but a 29-run stand between Chanida Sutthiruang and Phannita Maya arrested the slide a touch. Sutthiruang top-scored with an unbeaten 31 and was the only batter to get into double-digits as Thailand managed to reach 78 for 7 in 15 overs.
Chamari Athapaththu and Sanjeewani then made light work of the chase. They brought up their 50 partnership in the sixth over before Thipatcha Putthawong accounted for Athapaththu, who top edged a slog sweep to mid-on.
Putthawong also removed Sanjeewani but the damage had been done by then. Thailand were not helped by their ground fielding; they committed a number of misfields and dropped chances. Harshitha Samarawickrama closed the game in the 11th over with a pull over deep square leg.
Sri Lanka will face Pakistan in the second semi-final on Sunday.Bangladesh advance to semi-final after washout
Rain had the final say in the fourth quarter-final of the Asian Games, with the Bangladesh-Hong Kong game getting washed out without a ball being bowled. As a result, Bangladesh have qualified for the semi-final as they have a higher seeding and will now face India in the first semi-final on Sunday.
Three out of the four quarter-final games have been abandoned, while the other game was reduced to a 15-overs-a-side affair because of persistent rain.
The India-Bangladesh semi-final serves as a tantalising prospect given the recent history between the two sides. India had toured Bangladesh for a three-match T20I and ODI series in July this year. While India won the T20Is 2-1, the ODI series ended in a 1-1 draw and was followed by huge controversies surrounding the umpiring. The incidents also saw India captain Harmanpreet Kaur being fined and handed four demerit points for her outbursts, which meant she had to miss the first two matches at the Asian Games.
