(Cricket news) Sri Lanka bounced back from their embarrassing defeat to Namibia with a huge 79-run victory over UAE to give themselves their first points and a massive NRR boost. Pathum Nissanka 74 off 60 dragged the team past the 150-run mark. Sri Lanka then went on to flex their bowling might to bundle out the UAE for just 73. In the first innings, UAE's 22-year-old leg spinner Karthik Meiyappan got a fine hattrick but it proved insignificant in the end as their batters failed to chase a score of 152. The margin of victory takes Sri Lanka's NRR (+0.60) past Netherlands'(+0.15).

Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka added 37 off just four overs before the UAE captain Chundangapoyil Rizwan unfurled a trick brought on left-arm spinner Aryan Lakhra, who struck right away by getting Mendis out for 18 off 13. Just when it looked like a stand that would carry Sri Lanka to a big total, Dhananjaya made 33 off 21 and got run out. The turning point came when leg-spinner Karthik Meiyappan turned the tables in the space of three deliveries in the 15th over. He got his first wicket when he tossed up a full and wide ball first, enticing Bhanuka Rajapaksa to go big and got out to deep cover, while Charith Asalanka was welcomed with a googly that nicked behind to the keeper. Meiyappan saved his best deliveries for the last of his hat trick as Dasun Shanaka was bamboozled with a loopy googly.

Nissanka got to his half-century only in 45 deliveries as he took it upon himself to give Sri Lanka a strong finish with the lankas smashing 26 in two overs (18th and 19th) with 20 off them coming from Nissanka's bat. Zahoor Khan bowled a good over in the 20th over and gave away just three as Sri Lanka finished with 152 for 8, Nissanka finished with 74 off 60 balls. Dushmantha Chameera started the wicket taking as he knocked backed Muhammad Waseem and Aryan in the third over. Pramod Madushan got a wicket in the last over of the PowerPlay with a full delivery on the legs to uproot Chirag Suri's stumps as UAE were down to 23 for 4 in 6 overs. 

Introducing the spinners got more wickets at 42 for 7, in the 12th over as Maheesh Theekshana had the first-innings hero Meiyappan stumped and Hasaranga picked up his third in the 15th by cleaning up Afzal Khan to finish with exceptional figures of 3 for 8. UAE were 56 for 9 as their number 10 batter came out all guns blazing but Siddique made the highest score but got out when he attempted to go after Theekshana and got out in the 18th over as UAE finished with a score off 73.

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 152/8 (Pathum Nissanka 74, Dhananjaya de Silva 33; Karthik Meiyappan 3-19, Zahoor Khan 2-26) beat UAE 73 in 17.1 overs (Junaid Siddique 18; Wanindu Hasaranga 3-8, Dushmantha Chameera 3-15, Pramod Madushan 2-15) by 79 runs

Also read: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur withdraws from WBBL due to back injury