Sri Lanka, Pakistan gear up for much-needed practice

Sri Lanka and Pakistan will join Bangladesh in a triangular series in Bangladesh starting from Friday (tomorrow). The series will not only provide the players with opportunities to make progress in the ICC Women’s ODI Player Rankings but it will also give them the chance to make their final touches to their preparations for next month’s ICC Women’s World Cup to be staged in Australia from 7 to 22 March. In the latest rankings, Sri Lanka have two players in the top 20 – Dedunu Silva and captain Shashikala Sriwardena. Dedunu is in 13th place and Sriwardena is in 15th position. On the bowling front, Pakistan’s Sajjida Shah is the only bowler from either side to be in the top 20. She sits in 15th spot, just behind Nicky Shaw of England and South Africa’s Alicia Smith.

Meanwhile, New Zealand’s 2-0 lead in the five-match Rose Bowl Series has helped their players to rise in the latest rankings. New Zealand captain Haidee Tiffen has swapped places with team-mate Sara McGlashen and now sits in 10th place while Amy Satterthwaite has jumped 17 places to 25th. Australia’s Alex Blackwell’s dip by two places has allowed her captain Karen Rolton to rise by a place and England captain Charlotte Edwards by two places. Australia fast bowler Kirsten Pike, who is not part of the squad, and New Zealand seamer Aimee Mason have dropped out of the top 10. Pike has slipped three places to 12th while Mason has dropped two places to 11th.

Pike’s and Mason’s drop has benefitted England fast bowler Katherine Brunt who has returned to the top 10 while Nicola Browne of New Zealand has improved one place to eighth. There is no change in the top all-rounders’ which is still headed by Australia’s Lisa Sthalekar though Rolton has dropped one place to seventh position. With three matches still to be played in the Rose Bowl Series, there are plenty of opportunities for the players to make amends and climb up the rankings. For those who have gained after two matches, extra effort would be required to retain those places or to continue their upward movement. Both Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in Group B of the ICC Women’s World Cup, which is the first to be staged under the auspices of the ICC since its merger with the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) in 2005. The group also includes losing finalist in 2005 India and two-time former champion England.

Holder Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies are in Group A. The top three sides in each group will go forward to the Super Six stage where each side then plays the teams which have qualified from the other group. The top two sides from the Super Six go forward to the final.

While Sri Lanka qualified directly for the Australian event by finishing in the top six of the 2005 Women’s World Cup in South Africa, Pakistan and South Africa completed the eight-team line-up by qualifying from the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers which was held in Stellenbosch, South Africa early last year.

The Bangladesh triangular series will be Pakistan’s first outing since the Women’s Asia Cup which was held in Sri Lanka in May while their home series against the West Indies in October was cancelled due to safety and security reasons. In sharp contrast, Sri Lanka last played ODIs in November when they hosted the West Indies and won the series 3-2.

The matches between Sri Lanka and Pakistan will have ODI status as the two sides are in the top 10 of women’s cricket. Apart from the eight teams that will be involved in the ICC Women’s World Cup, Ireland and the Netherlands also have ODI status.

Tri-series fixtures:

6 Feb – Bangladesh v Pakistan, Shaheed Chandu Stadium, Bogra

7 Feb – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (ODI), Shaheed Chandu Stadium, Bogra

9 Feb – Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Shaheed Chandu Stadium, Bogra

12 Feb – Pakistan v Sri Lanka (ODI), Khulna Divisional Stadium

13 Feb – Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Khulna Division

14 Feb – Bangladesh v Pakistan, Khulna Stadium

17 Feb – Final, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Remaining matches in the Rose Bowl Series

6 Feb – New Zealand v Australia Zealand (ODI), Seddon Park, Hamilton

8 Feb – New Zealand v Australia (ODI), Seddon Park, Hamilton

12 Feb – New Zealand v Australia (ODI), Basin Reserve, Wellington.
Source: Daily Times, Pakistan