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Gunaratne gives Sri Lanka edge

The final of the Women's World Twenty20 Qualifier between Sri Lanka and Pakistan will conclude on Thursday after heavy showers in Dublin meant only the first innings was completed amid persistent rain

Ryan Bailey in Dublin
31-Jul-2013
Pakistan 112 for 5 (Abidi 45, Maroof 35*) v Sri Lanka
Scorecard
The final of the Women's World Twenty20 Qualifier between Sri Lanka and Pakistan will conclude on Thursday after heavy showers in Dublin meant only the first innings was completed amid persistent rain.
Sri Lanka will require 113 runs to win when the sides return to the YMCA Ground on the reserve day but, with the forecast showing similar conditions for tomorrow, tournament organisers will be sweating about getting the showpiece final completed.
Chandima Gunaratne continued her fine form with the ball as she took 2 for 7 off her four overs to restrict Pakistan to 112 for 5 during their rain-interrupted innings, despite well-constructed knocks from Nain Abidi and Bismah Maroof.
However, after playing through light drizzle for the majority of the first innings, the umpires were forced to call a halt to proceedings as heavier rain left the Sandymount ground saturated.
Sri Lanka's captain Shashikala Siriwardene opted to bowl first in overcast conditions when she won the toss and her decision was quickly justified as the bowlers extracted movement both through the air and off the pitch.
After breaking the shackles with a couple of boundaries, Javeria Khan departed for 11, giving Gunaratne her eighth wicket of the tournament.
The wicket of Nahida Khan in the sixth over for 8 only brought Maroof to the crease as she scored a run-a-ball thirty-five to add some much needed impetus to the innings. But a brief, ten-minute interruption in the 17th over halted some of their momentum as three wickets were lost in the final over.
Abidi was one of them. She had showed grit and determination to battle through difficult conditions early in her innings and revealed some deft strokeplay before she fell to Chamani Seneviratna as Sri Lanka completed the innings on a high.