Sri Lanka Women’s hopes of staying alive in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 were dashed as South Africa Women eased to a comfortable DLS victory in a rain-affected game at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.
Pitch Report
The match was played on the same surface used for the Sri Lanka–New Zealand clash — Pitch No. 9. The surface offered a hint of swing early on but very little spin or bounce, making timing the ball tricky for the batters.
Toss & Teams
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and elected to bat first. South Africa skipper Laura Wolvaardt said they didn’t mind chasing under lights.
Sri Lanka went in unchanged, while South Africa made three changes – Sune Luus, Nondumiso Shangase, and Karabo Meso (wk) came into the XI.
Sri Lanka’s Innings
Sri Lanka started brightly, with Vishmi Gunaratne leading the way while Chamari played a cautious supporting role. But disaster struck when Vishmi, attempting a quick single, was struck on her left knee by a direct throw from Nonkululeko Mlaba and had to retire hurt.
Hasini Perera soon fell for 4, bowled by Masabata Klaas, and Chamari was trapped LBW for 11 — just one run short of completing 4,000 international runs. The review stayed with the umpire’s call.
Rain interrupted play at 46/2 in 12 overs. After a long delay, the match was reduced to 20 overs per side, resuming exactly at the cutoff time of 9.10 p.m.
Sri Lanka managed to post 105/7 in 20 overs, adding 59 runs in the remaining 8 overs. Vishmi bravely returned to bat, top-scoring with 34 (33). Kaveesha Dilhari added 14, while Nilakshi de Silva chipped in with 18 off 17.
For South Africa, Mlaba (3/30) and Klaas (2/18) led the bowling effort.
South Africa’s Chase
Under the DLS method, South Africa’s target was set at 121 runs in 20 overs, and their openers made it look effortless.
Captain Laura Wolvaardt struck a brilliant 60 (47)* while Tazmin Brits played an equally dominant *55 (42)**, guiding South Africa home in just 14.5 overs.
Turning Point
The turning point came when Vishmi Gunaratne was forced to retire hurt during a promising start. Losing two wickets early and the subsequent rain interruption meant Sri Lanka’s DLS-adjusted total fell short — had they kept wickets in hand, the par score could have been around 158.
Stats & Milestones
- Chamari Athapaththu became the most-capped Sri Lankan woman in ODIs, playing her 119th match, surpassing Shashikala Siriwardhana (118).
- Laura Wolvaardt recorded her 37th ODI fifty.
- Tazmin Brits scored her third ODI half-century.
Footnote:
Sri Lanka couldn’t qualify for the semifinals after this defeat. They have two more matches remaining in the tournament. South Africa are almost certain to qualify for the semifinals, though it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet.
