West Indies Women face opening defeat
West Indies Women crashed to a six-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka Women at the opening One-Day International of the three-match series at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka.
After being sent in to bat, the Caribbean side managed to score only 195 all out in the 48th over and failing to stall the hosts’ run chase, and the Sri Lankan women got over the line at the start of the 35th over.
Harshitha Samarawickrama top-scored with 44 not out from 53 balls, after Sri Lanka lost a cluster of wickets. She added 73 for the fourth wicket with Hasini Perera who made 43 and a further 24 in an unbroken fifth wicket partnership with Nilakshika Silva who was on eight not out.
Vishmi Gunaratne smack 40 from 51 balls which included five fours and opening partner and captain Chamari Athapaththu, 38 from 36 balls, the pair laying the foundation for a successful chase with a stand of 88.
Fast bowler Aaliyah Alleyne took 2 for 22 and leg-spinner Afy Fletcher with 2 for 31.
West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor plays a shot during their ICC Women’s Twenty20 Cricket World Cup semifinal match against Australia in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Associated Press / Aijaz Rahi, file
West Indies Women cruised to 75 for one before suffering a collapse, the trio of Hayley Matthews with 38, Stafanie Taylor with 33 and Shemaine Campbelle with 27 failed in carrying on.
Rashada Williams (6) was an early casualty in the third over with seven runs when Matthews and Campbelle posted a 68 runs partnership for the second wicket to revive their side.
Matthews struck six fours in a 53-ball knock while Campbelle, 31, hit four fours in 51 balls. Both of them perished in the space of four balls in the 19th over from left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari (3-30) and West Indies Women eventually reach their total of 195.
Taylor counted three fours, added 33 for the fourth wicket with Chedean Nation (6) and a further 22 for the sixth wicket with Aaliyah Alleyne (14), before Karishma Ramharack (14) and Shamilia Connell (9) put on 25 for the final wicket.
The home side performed nicely from the beginning of the chase before Gunaratne fell to the second ball of Alleyne’s first spell.
Alleyne then bowled Athapaththu in the 14th and Fletcher had Kavisha Dilhari stumped without scoring in the 17th over, Sri Lanka Women had lost three wickets for 13 runs in the space of 20 balls to be 101 for three.
However, Perera arrived to the crease lashing seven fours in a 59-ball knock while Samarawickrama counted five fours, to take the over the line.
