Pak skipper Bismah Maroof is ready to deliver their best against SL in ODIs (Preview)

Karachi [Pakistan], May 31 (ANI): Pakistan’s skipper Bismah Maroof said it is important for her to prepare well and deliver the best against Sri Lanka in the upcoming ODI series starting from Wednesday at Southend Club Cricket Stadium.
“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,” ICC quoted Maroof as saying.
After successfully completing the T20I series, Pakistan would like to continue the winning momentum as they defeat Sri Lanka with a 3-0 margin. All the IWC ODI matches will be held at the same venue in Karachi, which will give Pakistan home soil benefits.
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.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka will try to change their fortune as it will look to win the ODI series. The visitors are looking for their first win on this tour and they will hope to change the situation in the 50-over series.
Having missed out on qualification for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, SL captain 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. Sri Lanka had 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 back 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 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.
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. (ANI)