Early Blows to South Africa
Sri Lanka Women won the toss and chose to bowl first. Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits opened for South Africa. Malki Madara bowled a tight first over. Sugandika Kumari supported from the other end and struck early.
In the fourth over, Sugandika removed Brits for 14 off 14 balls. Then, in the seventh over, Madara dismissed Wolvaardt for 10 off 21 balls. Both bowlers stayed accurate and built pressure. After 10 overs, South Africa Women stood at 40/2. Lara Goodall had 14 off 20, while K. Meso was on 1 off 6.
Spinners Keep Things Tight
Chamari Athapaththu and Inoka Ranaweera maintained pressure with disciplined bowling. After 15 overs, SA W were at 56/2. Goodall moved to 22 off 35, while Meso struggled with 8 off 21. Ranaweera finally got Meso in the 17th over for 9 off 27 balls. Sune Luus came in next.
Goodall and Luus formed a steady partnership. In the 27th over, Dewmi Vihanga broke the 54-run stand by dismissing Goodall for 46 off 63. In the very next over, Vihanga also sent Luus back for 31 off 39. South Africa stood at 134/5 after 31 overs. Dercksen and Tryon were at the crease.
Tryon and Dercksen Add Momentum
In the 36th over, Dercksen and Tryon completed a 50-run partnership. However, Vihanga struck again in the 40th over, removing Tryon for 35 off 40 balls. After 40 overs, SA W reached 182/6. Dercksen had 32 off 32, while Nadine de Klerk had just come in.
Madara dismissed Nadine de Klerk in the 47th over after she scored 17 off 25. Dercksen brought up her fifty in the 48th over with a six. In the 49th over, Madara struck twice to remove Klaas and Mlaba. South Africa Women finished at 235/9 in 50 overs.
Early Blows to Sri Lanka
Chasing 236, Hasini Perera and Chamari Athapaththu opened for Sri Lanka. Klaas bowled the first over and gave away just 3 runs. Nadine followed from the other end and conceded 6. Klaas struck in the third over, dismissing Athapaththu for 6 off 8.
Perera and Vishmi Gunarathne rotated strike well and found boundaries regularly. After 10 overs, SL W were 47/1. Perera had 20 off 33, and Vishmi was on 16 off 19. They completed their 50-run stand by the 12th over.
Mlaba Strikes But SL Keep Momentum
In the 15th over, Mlaba dismissed Vishmi for 29 off 35. H. Samarawickrama joined Perera at the crease. After 15 overs, SL W stood at 78/2. Perera had moved to 37 off 46.
In the 18th over, Luus removed Perera for 42 off 55. Kavisha Dilhari came in next. Both batters built a solid partnership. After 30 overs, Sri Lanka reached 138/3. Kavisha was on 26 off 40, and Samarawickrama had 28 off 42.
Dilhari and Samarawickrama Take Charge
In the 31st over, the pair brought up their 50-run stand. Then, in the 32nd over, Samarawickrama smashed three boundaries off Khaka, taking SL W past 150. She reached her half-century in the 36th over off 65 balls. Dilhari also completed her fifty in the 39th over, taking 61 balls. Together, they completed a 100-run partnership.
After 40 overs, SL W were comfortably placed at 195/3. Dilhari was on 51 and Samarawickrama on 59.
Late Wickets but SL Seals Victory
Mlaba broke the stand by removing Dilhari in the 44th over. She scored 61 off 75. Nilakshika de Silva joined Samarawickrama. However, Nadine de Klerk dismissed Samarawickrama on the first ball of the 47th over for a well-made 77 off 93.
Anushka Sanjeewani came next and got off the mark with a single. With just 3 runs left, de Silva smashed a boundary to seal the match. Sri Lanka Women won the match by 5 wickets with 21 balls to spare.
