Chamari guides SL Women to thrilling win
Skipper Chamari Atapattu hit a superb 115 as Sri Lanka Women recorded a thrilling three-wicket win over India Women with one ball to spare in the third ODI played at the FTZ Grounds in Katunayake yesterday.
This was also Sri Lanka’s first win against their Indian counterparts after a lapse of five years having last triumphed during the 2013 Women’s World Cup Cricket Tournament.
The home side chasing a formidable 254 runs got off to a flying start through Chamari and Hasini Perera who put on 101 runs in 139 runs.
Hasini made a valuable contribution of 45 runs which included two boundaries and two sixes. Chamari and Anushka Sanjeewani further frustrated the Indian bowlers with a secondwicket stand of 55 runs.
Chamari scored 115 runs which came off 133 balls that included 13 boundaries and four towering sixes.
Chamari’s dismissal left Sri Lanka needing a further 61 runs off 51 balls.
The fall of the seventh-wicket at 241 in the 48th over left the home side with 12 balls to get 14 runs.
Sripali Weerakkody and Kavisha Dilhari batted with patience to help Sri Lanka reach their target with a ball to spare.
Earlier, the Indian Women invited to take first lease of the wicket lost their first wicket in the second ball of the first over.
However, Skipper Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana rescued the side with the pair adding 102 runs for the second wicket.
Smriti made 52 which included six boundaries.
Mithali also added 45 runs for the third-wicket with Harmanpreet Kaur.
Mithali remained unbeaten on 125 made in 143 balls which had 14 boundaries and a six.
India Women: 253/5 in 50 overs (Smitri Mandhana 51, Deepti Sharma 38, Mithali Raj 125 n.o)
Sri Lanka Women: 257/7 in 49.5 overs (Chamari Atapattu 115, Hasini Perera 45, Jhulan Goswami 2/39, Mansi Joshi 2/43).