Women’s Asia cup cricket from May two

The Lankan edition of the Women’s Asia Cup will get underway from 2 May when Sri Lanka takes on Pakistan at the Dambulla International Cricket Stadium. On the same day the current holders of the Cup, India will take on Bangladesh at the Welagedera Stadium.

The teams will arrive in the island on 27 April and will have practice session at Kurunegala and Dambulla on 28,.29 and 30th April.

At this tournament the Lankan women will take the field under twenty-three year-old all rounder Shashikala Siriwardena who bats right hand and bowls right arm, while Urooj Mumtaz will captain Pakistan. The Indian ladies will play under the leadership of Mithali Raj and Sathira Zakir Jessy at the helm of the Bangladesh team.

The inaugural Women's Asia Cup was played in Sri Lanka in April 2004 with only two teams taking part – Hosts Sri Lanka and India. In that tie India won all five limited overs matches and took the cup. The next episode was held in Karachi, Pakistan Cup in December 2005 and January 2006. Pakistan made their first appearance in the tournament, but lost all four of their matches. India once again won beating Sri Lanka by 97 runs in the final. The third Women's Tournament was played in Jaipur, India in December 2006 and once again it was India who won the plum

SRI LANKA: Shashikala Siriwardena ( Capt), Chamani Polgampola ( Vice- Captain), Dilani Manodara (WK), Dedunu De Silva, Chamika Bandara, Suwini De Alwis, Eshani Lokusooriya, Chamani Seneviratne, Sandamali Dolawatta, Inoka Galagedara, Janakanthimala, Deepika Rasangalie, Sumudu Fernando, Sripali Weerakkodi, Stand by: Chandi Wickremasinghe, Udeshika Prabodhini, Chamari Attapattu

BANGLADESH: Sathira Zakir Jessy (Captain), Shukhtara, Ayesha Akhter, Salma Khatun, Irin Sultana, Chamily Khatun, Rumana Akhter, Panna Ghosh, Shamima Akhter Pinky, Jahanara Alam, Lily Rani, Tithi Rani, Papiya Haque Babu, Mina Khatun.

INDIA: Mithali Raj ( Capt), . Jhulan Goswami, Jaya Sharma, Karuna Jain (WK), Amita Sharma, Devika Palshikar, Rumeli Dhar, Thirush Kamini, Neetu David, Seema Pujare, Snehal Pradhan, Gouher Sultana, Anagha Deshpande, Asha Rawat, Priyanka Roy.

PAKISTAN: Urooj Mumtaz (Captain), Batool Fatima (WK), Tasqeen Qadeer, Sajjida Shah, Bismah Maroof, Nain Abidi, Sana Javed, Sana Mir, Qanita Jalil, Asmavia Iqbal, Sadia Yousuf, Shumaila Mushtaq, Almas Akram, Javeria Khan

The tour itinerary reads as: 2nd May Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan at Dambulla, India vs. Bangladesh at Welagedera. 3rd May Sri Lanka vs. India at Dambulla, Pakistan vs. Bangladesh at Welagedera. 4th May rest day

5th May Sri Lanka vs. Bangladesh at Dambulla, India vs. Pakistan at Welagedera. 6th May Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan at Welagedera, India vs. Bangladesh at Dambulla.

7th May rest day
8th May Sri Lanka vs. India at Welagedera, Pakistan vs. Bangladesh at Dambulla. 9th May Sri Lanka vs. Bangladesh at Welagedera, India vs. Pakistan at Dambulla. 11th May final at the Welagedera International Cricket Stadium. (SRP)