Silver Medal for Sri Lanka at the Asian Games
Sri Lanka CricketNews article
After a hard-fought bid for the gold medal, Sri Lanka had to settle for the silver medal in women's cricket at the Asian Games. Beaten by 147 runs by India in the final played at Nishin today (22), Sri Lanka could muster only 69 runs in 15.5 overs while chasing a target of 217.
Batting first against Sri Lanka, India posted 216 for 3 at the end of their 20 overs. Sri Lanka were therefore set a huge target of 217 for victory.
Indian openers Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma gave the innings a rapid start, putting on 99 runs for the first wicket.
Mandhana made 79 off 45 balls, an innings that included 11 fours and 7 sixes. Shafali scored 48 off 29 balls.
Richa Ghosh, who batted explosively in the back half of the Indian innings, remained unbeaten on 49 off 22 balls and carried India's total past the 200 mark. India thus lifted their innings to 216.
For Sri Lanka, Chamodi Prabodha claimed one wicket for 34 runs.
Sri Lanka, walking out to chase a big target, managed some momentum early on, but once the Indian spinners came into operation the innings collapsed quickly.
Captain Chamari Athapaththu was Sri Lanka's top scorer with 29 off 21 balls. After her dismissal, however, the innings could not recover.
Scoring against the Indian spinners proved a severe challenge for the Sri Lankan batters, and they were eventually bowled out for 69 in 15.5 overs.
For India, Deepti Sharma bowled outstandingly to take 3 wickets for 6 runs, while Shafali Verma took 2 for 3, Shreyanka Patil 2 for 9 and N. Shree Charani 2 for 13.
So, although the women's cricket gold medal at the Asian Games eluded Sri Lanka, the side ended the tournament with a silver medal.
It is also notable that this was the second final Sri Lanka lost to India within a few days. Earlier, Sri Lanka were beaten by India in the Women's Asia Cup final as well.
Scoreboard summary
India – 216/3 (20 overs) Smriti Mandhana 79, Richa Ghosh 49 not out, Shafali Verma 48, Harmanpreet Kaur 19 Chamodi Prabodha 34/1
Sri Lanka – 69 (15.5 overs) Chamari Athapaththu 29 Deepti Sharma 06/3, Shafali Verma 03/2, Shreyanka Patil 09/2, N. Shree Charani 13/2
Result – India won by 147 runs.
Based on Sri Lanka Cricket reporting