New Delhi, October 15
Persistent rain in Colombo on Tuesday led to the abandonment of Sri Lanka's match against New Zealand in the ongoing ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, leaving the island nation with just two points from their first four encounters at the tournament, according to the ICC.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu knows her team must win all three of their remaining matches at the World Cup to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages.
However, rather than dwelling on the unfortunate weather that Sri Lanka has encountered thus far, Athapaththu remains optimistic and believes her side still has a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals at the event, should they win their final three matches against South Africa, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
"Definitely, the next game is very crucial for us because we need to win three games," Athapaththu said. We focus on the next game, and I know we have to improve in some areas before the next game, and I hope we can play the next game without any rain," Chamari Athapaththu said.
Athapaththu said her team will take plenty of confidence from their batting efforts against the White Ferns, with all-rounder Nilakshika Silva hitting a valuable 55* late in the innings and young opener Vishmi Gunaratne returning to form at the top of the order with 42 as the side posted a competitive total of 258/6 before the heavens opened.
Gunaratne had managed scores of just 10 and 11 batting at No.4 during the early stages of the tournament, but a return to her preferred position as opener against the Kiwis proved the catalyst for an improved performance.
"She (Gunaratne) is our No.1 opener, but over the last six months she has struggled as an opener," Athapaththu noted.
"That's why she moved to No.4, but again we talk with the selectors and the team management, and I talk to her. And she moved back to her normal batting place with me. I feel she's played really good cricket today, and it seemed to work out with the top three today, with that batting order change. It also worked out with Nilakshika Silva as well," Athapaththu concluded.
New Zealand counterpart Sophie Devine was left frustrated with the result, as the White Ferns missed the chance to draw level with fourth-placed India in the standings and had to settle for a share of the spoils, remaining fifth overall.
It also means New Zealand will likely need to win all three of its remaining matches at the tournament. Still, Devine is happy to take it one game at a time and focus on a potentially tricky matchup against Pakistan in Colombo on Saturday.
"We know Pakistan are going to be a real handful in these conditions," Devine said. We know that they've got talent throughout, and they've pushed different teams in this tournament already."
"We'll review half a game that we played today, and we will come up with new plans. It's another really exciting opportunity. We just hope that we can get a full game of cricket in, " she concluded.
- ANI
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