Bangladesh suffered a narrow three-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the rain-curtailed third and final Women’s Twenty20 International in Sylhet on Saturday, conceding a 3-0 series loss.

The Tigresses were well placed to register a consolation win, needing 14 runs off the last seven balls with six wickets in hand while chasing a modest 88 in a nine-over-a-side contest at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

However, the match slipped away dramatically as skipper Nigar Sultana Joty (13) and Ritu Moni (3) fell off successive deliveries, leaving the hosts requiring 14 from five balls.

Sultana Khatun kept hopes alive with a spirited late cameo, smashing nine runs off four deliveries to bring the equation down to five off the final ball. But Sharmin Sultana could only manage a single off Chamari Athapaththu (2-15), as Bangladesh fell agonisingly short.

The T20I series defeat for Joty and teammates follows a 2-1 loss in the preceding WODI series held in Rajshahi.

Earlier, Bangladesh mounted a competitive chase thanks to brisk contributions from Sobhana Mostary (21 off 15) and Juairiya Ferdous (15 off 11), but yet again, a late middle-order collapse proved costly.

After winning the toss for the third straight time, Joty opted to bowl first in a match delayed by two and a half hours due to rain, reducing it to nine overs per side. Sri Lanka posted 87 for six, with Athapaththu leading from the front with 41 off 27 balls, while Imesha Dulani and Kaveesha Dilhari chipped in with 19 and 15 runs, respectively.

For Bangladesh, off-spinner Sultana Khatun was the standout performer, claiming 3-8. Athapaththu was named player of the series, finishing with 115 runs and four wickets in the series.

Source: The Daily Star

--Agencies