The Commonwealth Games qualifying match between Sri Lanka Women and Bangladesh Women was a do-or-die affair for both sides. The Sri Lankan team overcame the Bangladesh team by 22 runs in the final fixture of the Qualifier on Monday (January 24) and secured a spot in the forthcoming 2022 Commonwealth Games Cricket competition. With this victory, Sri Lanka finished top, while Bangladesh finished second in the points table. The Bangladesh-Sri Lanka match report, as well as the qualifying teams in the main event, are discussed in this article. 

Match Report: Bangladesh Women vs Sri Lanka Women

The Bangladesh Women's team bowled first at Kinrara Academy Oval in Kuala Lumpur, and the Sri Lankan Women's team posted a challenging 136/6 in their allocated 20 overs. Bangladesh finished their innings with 114/5 on the board and lost by 22 runs in the match.

The Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu rose to the occasion and delivered a vital knock against Bangladesh, helping her team to post a competitive total. Athapaththu batted till the tenth over of the innings, bringing the total to 72. She put on a vital 47-run stand with Hasina Perera on the second wicket. Hasina did not contribute much with the bat, but she provided good support to her captain on the other end. 

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Spinner Rumana Ahmed sent Chamari back to the pavilion in the 10th over. However, the Lankans had already built a solid foundation on which to accelerate the innings in the death overs. In the later stages of the innings, Harshitha Madavi (19), Nilakshi de Silva (28), and Anushka Sanjeewani (20) all contributed with the bat to provide a winnable score to defend. Nahida Akter took the most wickets for Bangladesh in the match with two.

The Bangladesh team was in a solid position at one point during the run chase. They were 93/3 in 15.3 overs. All they needed was some big hitting from the middle order. However, they were unable to accelerate the run rate when it was required despite having enough wickets in hand. Credit must be given to the Sri Lankan bowlers, who were outstanding with the ball and made it difficult for the Bangladesh batters. 

Murshida Khatun (36), Fargana Hoque (33), and skipper Nigar Sultana (20) all tried, but it was not enough. Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Athapaththu was the team's most successful bowler. She finished her spell with 4-0-17-3.

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Player of the Match    

Sri Lanka won the crucial match against Bangladesh thanks to Captain Chamari Athapaththu's outstanding all-round performance. She deservedly took home the player of the match honor. 

2022 Commonwealth Games Cricket Tournament: Qualified Teams

Eight women's national teams will compete in the 2022 Commonwealth Games Cricket competition in Birmingham, England. Seven teams have already qualified for the main event. The ICC organized a qualifying competition for the eighth spot. The Sri Lankan Women's cricket team has secured a berth in the championship as the eighth team after topping the qualification event points standings.  

Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Barbados from the West Indies, and the host England are the other teams competing. All of the matches will be held at the Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham from July 29 to August 7, 2022.

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There will be two groups in this competition, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals. India, Pakistan, Australia, and Barbados will compete for a semifinal spot in Group A. The hosts England, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka will vie for a spot in the knockout phase in Group B. The final match will take place on August 7. 

Bottom Line

The Sri Lankan women's team had little trouble defeating the Bangladesh women's team in the last match of the qualification tournament. On the other hand, the Bangladesh women's team put forth a good effort but fell short of Sri Lanka's target. As a result, Bangladesh women were unable to qualify for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will be held in England in July. Oppositely, the Sri Lankan team will compete in the Commonwealth Games Cricket competition with some of the greatest women's teams in the world. 

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