Women’s T20 WC: Harmanpreet, Smriti smash fifties as India post 172/3 against Sri Lanka

Dubai: Half-centuries by captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana ensured India posted 172/3, the highest total of this Women’s T20 World Cup, against Sri Lanka in a crucial Group A clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.

After India had a splendid 98-run opening stand, where Smriti made a 38-ball fifty and Shafali Verma made 46, Sri Lanka fought back by dismissing the duo off successive deliveries. Harmanpreet applied perfect finishing touches by smoking pacers and spinners to hit a 27-ball fifty.

The Indian batters made good use of the crease, ran well between the wickets and found their groove to punish Sri Lanka, who would be ruing dropping simple catches of Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues.

Electing to bat first, Shafali got India going with three boundaries in as many overs – with a chipped drive over extra cover off Udeshika Prabodhani being the standout. Smriti started to come out of her struggles by hammering Sugandika Kumari for a four down the ground before Shafali ended India’s best Power-play at this World Cup with a pulled four taking the score to 41/0.

In the process, Shafali also became the youngest batter to score 2000 women’s T20I runs. Post Power-play, Smriti brought up India’s fifty by hitting the side’s first six of this World Cup – dancing down the pitch to dispatch Inoka Ranaweera over long-on.

Smriti then backed away to dish out an elegant inside-out loft over extra cover going for four off Udeshika and followed it up by lofting over mid-off for another boundary. Despite three boundary-less overs, India managed to keep the scoreboard ticking via singles and extras conceded by Sri Lankan bowlers.

Smriti got her fifty in 36 balls when she swept Chamari for four, before being run out just short of crease by Ama Kanchana. On the very next ball, Shafali miscued off Chamari and was caught at cover for 43. Jemimah struck the ball well in her brief knock of 16 before slicing to backward point off Ama.

Harmanpreet, back to batting at number three, gloriously timed her leg-side shots, including the slog-sweeps, and placed her off-side shots very well to take India past 150. She then cleared Ama effortlessly over cover for four, before hitting back-to-back boundaries down the ground to take India past 170-mark.

Brief scores:

India 172/3 in 20 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 52 not out, Smriti Mandhana 50; Ama Kanchana 1-29, Chamari Athapaththu 1-34) against Sri Lanka