Women's T20 WC: Matthews, Ramharack star as West Indies skittle Sri Lanka for 98
Bristol, June 21
The West Indies produced a ruthless bowling display to dismiss Sri Lanka for just 98 in 19.4 overs after opting to field first in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup Group B clash at the County Ground in Bristol on Sunday. Captain Hayley Matthews set the tone with a devastating opening spell that ripped through Sri Lanka's top order, leaving the Asian side struggling to recover from an early collapse.
Matthews struck in the very first over, removing Vishmi Gunaratne for one with a stunning return catch, before returning in her next over to send back Chamari Athapaththu for two and Harshitha Samarawickrama for a duck. Sri Lanka slumped to 9/3 inside three overs, handing West Indies complete control of the contest.
Imesha Dulani attempted to steady the innings with a brisk 17 off 19 deliveries, adding valuable runs alongside Kavisha Dilhari, who once again led Sri Lanka's resistance with a composed 21 from 20 balls. However, Chinelle Henry broke the partnership by dismissing Dulani, while Aaliyah Alleyne followed up by producing a sharp caught-and-bowled chance to remove Dilhari at the end of the 10th over.
Sri Lanka's hopes of a recovery faded further when Ashmini Munisar trapped Kaushani Nuthyangana lbw for a golden duck, leaving them six down with less than 50 runs on the board.
Nilakshika Silva then mounted the only substantial fightback, top-scoring with 30 off 26 deliveries and stitching together useful stands in the lower order to push the total towards three figures.
The experienced Karishma Ramharack ensured the resistance did not last long. She had Nilakshika's supporting cast unravel as Sugandika Kumari and Kawya Kavindi were both stumped by Shemaine Campbelle while Mithali Ayodhya was run out in a mix-up. Kavindi battled for 17 off 28 balls, but Sri Lanka's innings ended on 98 with two balls still remaining.
West Indies' bowlers shared the workload superbly after Matthews' opening burst. Matthews finished with three crucial wickets to put Sri Lanka on the back foot, while Ramharack claimed three wickets of her own to wrap up the tail.
Henry, Alleyne, Munisar and Afy Fletcher chipped in with one wicket each as Sri Lanka never managed to build a meaningful partnership after the early setbacks.
After being asked to bat first, Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals and never recovered from the damage inflicted inside the powerplay. Their total of 98 left West Indies needing 99 runs for victory and another important win in the race for the semifinal places.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 98/10 in 19.4 overs (Nilakshika Silva 30, Kavisha Dilhari 21; Hayley Matthews 3-15, Karishma Ramharack 2-15) against West Indies.
— IANS
Reader Comments
From Australia, I've been following this tournament closely. Sri Lanka's batting order just crumbled under pressure. West Indies' bowling depth is impressive - not just Matthews but Ramharack, Henry, everyone chipped in. Still, 98 was always going to be too low. Good to see women's cricket getting more attention globally!
Honestly, Sri Lanka's batting has been disappointing throughout this tournament. 🤔 Their top order keeps failing. Athapaththu getting out for 2 after that brilliant century against India? Talk about inconsistency. Meanwhile, West Indies are looking like real contenders. Hope India learns from their approach!
Watching from the UK, Matthews is an absolute superstar! That catch off her own bowling in the first over was world-class. West Indies have the momentum now. Hope they go all the way 🏆. Good to see the County Ground packed for women's cricket too!
I feel for the Sri Lankan fans. Their team has talent but the batting order is too fragile. Dilhari and Silva were the only ones who showed some spine. West Indies' bowling was clinical - no loose deliveries, constant pressure. One thing I noticed: Sri Lanka need better fitness routines, they were dropping catches too. 🇱🇰
From Canada, I think Sri Lanka really missed a trick by not rotating the strike better. Too many dot balls built pressure. West Indies were relentless though - Matthews set the tone and Ramharack finished it off. That stumping by Campbelle was world-class! Clean cricket from the Caribbean side. 💪
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