Pak-Sri Lanka ODI series to mark beginning of new ICC Women's Championship cycle

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Karachi, May 31 (IANS) The first One-day International between Pakistan and Sri Lankan Women at the Southend Club Cricket Stadium here will mark the beginning of the ICC Women's Championship 2022/2025 cycle and the hosts would like to get a head-start in a busy season ahead.

After the completion of the T20I leg, Pakistan will aim to carry forward the winning momentum from the T20I series, which they won 3-0, into the three-match ODI leg with all the IWC matches to be held at the same venue in Karachi.

This will be the first time Pakistan will be playing the Women's Championship ODIs on their home soil and they will hope to make the best use of the familiar conditions.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will hope that the change in format will bring change in their fortune. The visitors are yet to open their account on this tour and they will hope to spring a surprise in the 50-over series, according to ICC.

Having missed out on qualification for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 in New Zealand, Chamari Athapaththu's side will be eager to claim important IWC points early on to make a strong case for direct qualification this time around.

So far, both teams have faced each other 30 times in the ODI format. Head-to-head, Sri Lanka have a solid record against Pakistan, having won 21 of those matches and lost only nine times.

The last time both teams came face to face in ODIs was in 2018 when Pakistan had toured Sri Lanka for a three-match IWC series. Bismah Maroof's side put up a dominant performance as they swept the series 3-0 in Dambulla.

Pakistan set targets in excess of 200 on all three occasions and even reached the 250-mark twice, while Sri Lanka could only manage to register their highest score of the series of 181.

The visitors won the first ODI by 69 runs after setting a target of 251 for Sri Lanka. Javeria Khan starred with the bat, making a match-winning unbeaten 113. In the second match, Maroof made a composed 89, once again setting the same target for the hosts. Sana Mir then turned the game with her spell of 4/32, helping her side seal a 94-run win. In the last outing, Pakistan's batters collectively posted 215/9 before their bowlers outclassed Sri Lanka by bowling them out for 107. Mir once again shone with the ball, returning 4/27.

"In this (IWC) edition we will try to gain as many points as we can. In this edition, we have to play the top teams away, so that will be a challenge. But having said that, it is important for us to prepare well and to deliver the best we can," said Pakistan cricketer Bismah Maroof.

Squads:

Pakistan: Bismah Maroof (captain), Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali Siddiqui, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin and Sidra Nawaz.

Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Imesha Dulani, Prasadani Weerakkody, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Ama Kanchana, Achini Kulasuriya, Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Sachini Nisansala, Oshadhi Ranasinghe, Anushka Sanjeewani.

--IANS

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