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Harmanpreet, bowlers demolish Sri Lanka to hand India big NRR boost
On a slightly cooler evening in Dubai, with semi-final qualification hopes in the balance, India brought their A-game to the fore to thrash Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup 2024. They put on their best batting show – perhaps the best among all teams in the tournament so far – and then were clinical with the ball and on the field to send the Asia Cup champions packing from the tournament.
Batting first, India rode on half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur to post 172 for 3, the highest total in this T20 World Cup. They then skittled Sri Lanka out for 90 to register an 82-run win, India’s biggest in T20 World Cups, with Arundhati Reddy and Asha Sobhana picking up three wickets apiece. As a result of their massive win, their net run rate (NRR) jumped to 0.576, better than Pakistan’s and only behind Australia’s. This is notable as their NRR had taken a beating following the 58-run defeat to New Zealand in their opening match.
Before Wednesday, India’s opening stands against Pakistan and New Zealand were 18 and 11 respectively. In a tournament where batting first seemed to give teams an advantage, India batted second in both their matches. India got to bat first after Harmanpreet won her first toss and the openers set about their task steadily.
Sri Lanka pressed their spinners into service and both Shafali Verma and Mandhana found it tough to break free. Shafali took the aerial route for India’s first four in the third over and did so again in the fourth and the fifth. She was on 24 off 20 in the fifth over; at that point Mandhana was on 6 off 10. But in a pattern different from the previous game, she was not being impatient or trying too hard.
Mandhana finally got going with a smack over the left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari’s head as India ended the powerplay on 41 for 0. She also slogged another left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera for a six over wide long-on in the next year to signal the gear change. India managed to hit at least one four in each over between the third and the ninth. Chamari Athapaththu kept India guessing by giving her bowlers one-over spells till the 13th over, by then Mandhana overtook Shafali to get to a fourth T20 World Cup half-century.
It took a run-out to end India’s opening partnership at 98, their third-highest in T20 World Cups, when Athapaththu and Ama Kanchana – brought in for Hasini Perera – combined to catch Mandhana short on 50. On the very next ball, Athapaththu had Shafali miscuing a heave to cover. That over meant Athapaththu ended the one-spell strategy and bowled a second over in the spell – the 13th and the 15th overs.
Having batted at No. 4 against Pakistan, Harmanpreet came in at No. 3 and was soon joined by Jemimah Rodrigues before she even faced a ball. Few batters in the Indian line-up are at ease against spin than Rodrigues. She used the sweep to first put Ranaweera away and then moved in her crease to pull Athapaththu to the deep square leg boundary.
At the other end, Harmanpreet hit Kumari for a four and a six to ensure the openers’ platform did not go to waste. Rodrigues soon fell for 16 off 10 – she was given a life at 13 when Kavisha Dilhari dropped a dolly at deep midwicket – but played a vital role in injecting momentum after two quick wickets.
By then, Harmanpreet, with a cushion of a long batting line-up to follow, cut loose. She first paddled Kanchana past short fine leg before hitting two fours to spoil Athapaththu’s figures. Ranaweera could not hang on to a powerful hit at cover when Harmanpreet was on 22. She hit Kanchana and Prabodhani for two fours each in the last two overs to bring up only her third half-century in T20Is since the 2023 T20 World Cup. That blitz – 52 not out off just 27 balls – helped India take 46 off the last four overs, the most by any team in this T20 World Cup.
She had retired hurt against Pakistan due to a neck injury, and had come for the toss with a pain-relief patch on the right side of her neck but was termed fit for this game. However, she did not take the field in the chase, with Mandhana captaining the team
Sri Lanka allrounder Wanidu Hasaranga has been ruled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup with a hamstring injury he suffered during their opening game aga8nst Ireland in Colombo on Sunday.
Although he completed his spell, taking 3 for 25 in four overs to derail Ireland’s spirited chase of 164, Hasaranga had an MRI scan on Monday that revealed a serious tear in his left hamstring. The report was seen by a specialist in the UK before he was ruled out on Tuesday.
The tear is understood to be related to a previous hamstring injury, though it is not a recurrence exactly. Hasaranga has battled injury for several years now, including a foot complaint
The ICC is yet to approve a replacement but Hasaranga is likely to be replaced in the squad by fellow legspin-bowling allrounder Dushan Hemantha. Although Hemantha, 31, brings roughly the same skillset, he has had only sporadic opportunities at the top level. He has played three T20Is, and has taken four wickets in those matches, with an economy rate of 7.85. Sri Lanka may also drop him straight into the XI – aside from the spinners who played on Sunday, there are no spinners in reserve in the squad.
Hasaranga’s loss is a substantial blow to Sri Lanka’s campaign nevertheless. He is the team’s most accomplished bowler in this format, and has been outstanding with the ball at T20 World Cups, taking 40 wickets and maintaining an economy rate of 6.01 across 20 innings.
Sri Lanka’s second group game is against Oman on February 12 in Pallekele, followed by Australia on February 16 in Pallekele, and finally Zimbabwe in Colombo (RPS) on February 19.
(Cricinfo)
The Royal Navy of Oman Vessel “SADH” arrived at the Port of Colombo on a logistics replenishment visit on Tuesday (10 Feb 26). The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in
compliance with naval traditions.
The 75m – long ship is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Shaheen Saud Abdul Rahman AI Balushi.
The port call will facilitate professional interaction and goodwill exchanges between the two navies.
During the stay in Colombo, crew members of the ship are expected to visit some tourist attractions in the city of Colombo.
After opening day fixtures for both sides that could have easily had the opposite outcomes, Pakistan and USA face each other at a time the World Cup has finally found its feet. To the extent even the US President Donald Trump appeared to have found out about the tournament, weighing in to wish his side the best of luck ahead of their next game.
Pakistan come into the fixture with a nervy win sealed by Faheem Ashraf’s penultimate over heroics against the Netherlands, while the USA hunt for their first points on the board after Suryakumar Yadav’s fireworks denied them one of cricket’s greatest upsets over India.
USA, of course, know a thing or two about great cricketing upsets, having inflicted one on this very opponent two years ago, when they took Pakistan to a Super Over before applying the knockout blow. They have spent the last week demonstrating they retain the capability to spring a similar surprise, after running New Zealand exceptionally close in a knockout game before that fright they gave India.
They will travel to Colombo from Mumbai and have little time to acclimatise, with less than 72 hours between the end of their previous game and the toss at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Once there, though, they know they have the ability to stifle Pakistan early on, just as they did with India. Injuries to Ali Khan and Shubham Ranjane could potentially cause bowling headaches, but in the disciplined seam of Shadley van Schalkwyk and the right and left arm spin of Mohammad Mohsin and Harmeet Singh, there were other avenues that discomfited India’s batters, too.
They will need more of a contribution from their top three, whose failure against India virtually sealed their fate in the first four overs, though the US will hope the likes of Andries Gous and captain Monank Patel have got their failure out of the way.
Pakistan may still be breathing sighs of relief after the get-out-of-jail card Faheem conjured up against the Netherlands. It was a win that showcased their fragility and lack of confidence at these events, having been knocked out of the last three ICC tournaments at the first hurdle. From a position of supreme comfort halfway through the chase, they imploded when a couple of wickets fell, and looked destined to throw the game away under the lightest of pressure from either the opposition or the match situation.
For Pakistan, with the boycott of the game against India on February 15 very much still on, this game, like all of their group games, feels very much like a knockout. They will be aware of the perils of even brief passages of play where the wheels come off or concentration sags being terminal to further involvement at the tournament. Fortunately for them, there wasn’t too much to complain as far as the fielding went, which was excellent, and little to worry about in the bowling department, where Pakistan got their spin and seam combination spot on, and still needed to use Saim Ayub and Faheem Ashraf for a combined one over.
The brittleness of their middle order and the alacrity with which it crumbled under pressure remains the biggest concern for Pakistan. Salman Ali Agha has promoted himself up the order while Babar Azam remains out of form. Under fire, Usman Khan is yet to be properly tested, while Pakistan will worry there’s not enough specialist batting quality to act as a shield before the procession of allrounders begins one spot too high in their lineup. It is a chink in their armour they are aware they need to conceal, but if the US can burrow through the top order, that soft underbelly could truly be exposed.
Pakistan will feel they have used a fair chunk of their fortune this tournament already, while the USA might be owed some.
While the scrutiny never seems to leave Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s greatest contribution against the Netherlands was merely as support act for Babar’s splendid relay catch on the boundary on Saturday. The left-arm pacer endured a torrid opening game, particularly in the powerplay, where Michael Levitt targeted him and took 23 off two overs. It was a setback following his decent return from a ligament injury during Australia’s visit to Pakistan, but with wickets offering more support for seam than expected, Pakistan will want their senior quick to step up.
It’s hard to look too far past Saurabh Netravalkar. His performance against Pakistan in 2024, and his professional backstory, which saw him take time off at Oracle as software engineer, caught the imagination of the cricketing world. He was the pick of the American bowlers, stifling Babar up top and removing Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed, conceding just 18 in four overs. But he saved his best heroics for last, defending 18 in the Super Over to give the USA its finest cricketing day on home soil.
Two years later, at the Wankhede for the Mumbai-born bowler, it was a more prosaic homecoming as he found himself smashed for 65 in four, the most expensive figures in T20 World Cup history. The USA will hope it is memories from two years rather than three days ago that inspire their star quick, especially in the potential absence of Ali Khan.
Pakistan continue to wrestle with what to do about Babar, who once more struggled to have an impact during Pakistan’s nervy chase against the Netherlands, and got himself out at a crucial juncture. Their bowling combination appeared to go according to plan, so sweeping changes are not expected.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan Saim Ayub Salman Ali Agha (capt) Babar Azam Shadab Khan Usman Khan/Khawaja Nafay (wk) Mohammad Nawaz Faheem Ashraf Shaheen Afridi Salman Mirza Abrar Ahmed
The USA side suffered a couple of key injuries to their bowlers at the tail-end of India’s batting innings. Pakistan-born Ali Khan pulled up trying to bowl the third over and is a serious doubt for the game with a leg injury. Shubham Ranjane, too, hobbled in the field and during his second over, but did come on to bat, and ended up joint-top scoring with 37 off 22. They have Jasdeep Singh as fast bowling cover.
United States of America: Andries Gous (wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (capt), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan/Jasdeep Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar
(Cricinfo)
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