South Africa locked horns with Sri Lanka in the opening game of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 at Newlands in Capetown and faced a three runs defeat in a close encounter. Chamari Athapaththu shined for the Islanders as she scored a match-winning half-century.
Asked to bat first, Sri Lanka put up a fighting total of 129/4 in their 20 overs. Athapaththu slammed 68 runs off 50 balls and was well supported by Vishmi Gunaratne, who played a convincing knock of 35 runs. On the other hand, Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail picked one wicket each for South Africa, with Nadine de Klerk also scalping a wicket. Kapp and Ismail tried to keep the run rate in check, but Sri Lanka’s batters managed to reach a score of 129-4 in 20 overs.
In reply, the South African team put up a valiant effort in their chase, but their batting line-up failed to keep up with the required run rate. Sune Luus top-scored for South Africa with 28 runs off 27 balls, while Laura Wolvaardt contributed 18 runs off 23 balls. The match was a close one, but Sri Lanka eventually secured a win by just three runs.
The win was a testament to the strength of the Sri Lankan cricket team and their ability to perform under pressure, and it will help them stay in contention in the tournament.
The Sri Lankan bowlers were particularly impressive, with Inoka Ranaweera picking up three wickets. Oshadi Ranasinghe and Sugandika Kumari also took two wickets each.
The Sri Lankan team will be looking to build on this win and continue their strong performance in the tournament. Their bowlers will play a crucial role in helping the team secure victories in future matches.
Meanwhile, the host team will look to bounce back from this loss and perform stronger in their next match. Their batting line-up will need to be more consistent if they want to win the tournament.
