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Sri Lanka Women secured a convincing 4-wicket victory over the West Indies Women in the opening T20I of the three-match series. The game was played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium on Monday, with Sri Lanka electing to field first.
West Indies struggles to score big
Put in to bat first, the West Indies batters failed to get going against a disciplined Sri Lankan bowling attack. Hayley Matthews (30) and Aaliyah Alleyne (26) were the only players to score over 20 runs, as the Windies finished their innings with a modest total of 134/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Chamari Athapaththu (4/29) was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers, claiming four wickets. Inoshi Fernando (3/28) also chipped in with three wickets.
Sri Lanka reaches the target with ease
Set a reachable target, the Sri Lankan openers struggled early on. However, a crucial partnership between Vishmi Rajapaksha Gunaratne (35) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (35) steadied the chase. Later contributions from Hasini Perera (20) and Nilakshi de Silva (17 not out) ensured Sri Lanka chased down the target with 1.2 overs to spare, losing only 6 wickets in the process.
Sri Lanka defeated West Indies by 4 wickets in the 1st T20I 🏏#women #cricket #SLvWI #srilankacricket #CricketTwitter #WomenCricket pic.twitter.com/CwX8nQRLip
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) June 24, 2024
Also READ: Latest ICC Women’s Rankings
Player of the Match
Chamari Athapaththu’s career-best bowling fifures, which guided Sri Lanka to victory, earned her the Player of the Match award.
With this win, Sri Lanka have taken a 1-0 lead in the T20I leg. The second fixture is scheduled on Wednesday, June 26, at the same venue.
