Sri Lanka women create history with series win in South Africa

Often when Sri Lankan cricket teams tour South Africa, they return home with broken bones, embarrassing series defeats  or Mr. Ali Bacher going back on his words. The nation’s women’s cricket team on Wednesday created history by completing a come from behind series win over South Africa in East London.

South Africa had won the opening encounter in Benoni by 79 runs, but the Sri Lankan side rallied back to win back-to-back games in Potchefstroom and East London.In the deciding third T-20 International, Sri Lanka women’s clinched a four wicket win in a last over thriller.

Sugandika Kumari claimed three wickets as Sri Lanka restricted the hosts to 155 for six. A captain’s knock by Chamari Atapattu then saw the tourists reaching the target with five balls to spare.

Atapattu, one of the leading women cricketers in the world, hit 73 in 46 balls with seven fours and five sixes.She was well supported by Harshitha Samarawickrama, a star in the making. The 25-year-old scored an unbeaten 54 off 43 balls with four boundaries and a six.

Atapattu and Samarawickrama added 101 runs for the second wicket in turning the game in Sri Lanka’s favour. After the captain’s dismissal, Sri Lanka lost a few quick wickets but Samarawickrama anchored the innings and saw her side through.

Sri Lanka’s previous highest successful run chase came more than ten years ago when they chased down 147 for the loss of three wickets against India.

Last year, Sri Lanka won a T-20 series in England.Sri Lanka will play three ODIs as well in South Africa with the games taking place in East London, Kimberley and Potchefstroom.

Straight from Johannesburg, the team will head to Abu Dhabi, where they will play the ICC World Cup Qualifiers. The event starts on the 20th April. Sri Lanka are pooled alongside USA, Thailand, Uganda and Scotland.

This year is a busy one for the national women’s cricket team with series against West Indies and Ireland coming up.

The T-20 Women’s World Cup will be worked off in Bangladesh in October this year.There’s been a lot of emphasis placed on improving women’s cricket with constant bilateral series and more opportunities through domestic cricket.