The Sri Lankan women’s cricket team produced a stunning performance as they outplayed the England team in the 3rd and deciding T20I match played at County Ground, Derby on 6th September 2023. Like the previous match, Sri Lankan captain Chamari Atthapttu won the toss and decided to field first.
It was an ideal start for the visitors as Priyadarshani got rid of dangerous Dani Wyatt with a simple catch to Perera at covers off the very first delivery. Alice Capsey was involved in a horrible mix-up that led to her dismissal. Maia Boucher showed intent putting the bad deliveries away for boundaries.
The left-arm seamer Prabodhani struck getting rid of Boucher with an easy catch to Dilhari. Boucher and captain Heather Knight added 30 runs for the 3rd wicket. At the end of six overs, England women scored 41 for 3.
After the field restrictions, Heather Knight and Amy Jones steadied the ship for England taking singles and hitting boundaries. Amy Jones was given out by the umpire but on review, it was overturned to not out. Right before the interval, Sri Lankan captain Chamari struck to get rid of Heather Knight.
After the break, Sri Lankan bowlers kept on picking at regular intervals not allowing the England batters to score runs freely. Danielle Gibson and Charlie Dean put up some resistance, but Sri Lankan captain Chamari picked up the last 2 wickets to bowl out the hosts for 116 in 19 overs.
Chasing 117 runs to win, Chamari Athapatthu put really pressure on the England bowlers right from the word go not allowing them to settle. Chamari and Sanjeewani scored 58 runs in the first six overs. Her brilliant innings came to an end as she was caught by Charlie Dean. The Sri Lankan captain scored a quickfire 44 off 28 deliveries with 5 fours and 2 sixes.
Chamari and Sanjeewani put on 65 runs for the opening wicket. Sanjeewani was soon dismissed providing a simple catch to Capsey at mid-off. Harshita Samawickrama stood tall and completed the job along with Hasini Perera winning the match by 7 wickets with 3 overs to spare.
For her all-round performance with 44 off 28 balls and 3 for 21 in 4 overs, Sri Lankan captain Chamari was named the player of the match. She was named the player of the series for 114 runs and 5 wickets.
Sri Lankan women stun England in T20I format
The Sri Lankan women’s team produced a memorable performance in the T20I series. After 10 attempts in the shortest format, they registered their first-ever win over England at County Ground, Chelmsford on 2nd September.
After opting to field first, the Sri Lankan women’s team bundled out England for 104 in 18 overs. They chased this target with 40 balls to spare and 8 wickets remaining. Sri Lankan captain Chamari was the top scorer with 55 runs laying a strong foundation for an impressive win.
This was Sri Lanka’s first T20I series win outside Asia. It was a great performance by the Sri Lankan team led by the experienced Chamari.
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