On May 9, South Africa defeated hosts Sri Lanka by a commanding 76 runs in the final league game of the ongoing Sri Lanka Women’s ODI Tri-Series in Colombo. Due to an all-around effort by Chloe Tryon, the Proteas were already eliminated and returned home with a victory, as the finalists, Sri Lanka and India, had already been confirmed.

The visitors were certain of finishing their campaign with a victory as they were put into bat for the second time in four games. An important boost came with regular skipper Laura Wolvaardt’s recovery from illness. However, the team’s batting was initially hindered by the early wickets they lost. The best bowler for Sri Lanka was Dewmi Vihanga, who took five wickets. However, Annerie Dercksen’s outstanding 104 off 84 balls and Tryon’s crucial 74 off 51 put the team back on track. The total reached 315/9 thanks to their 112-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

Wolvaardt (33) and Tazmin Brits (38) all made important contributions to the score, as did Nadine de Klerk’s undefeated 32 off 19. Even with Vihanga’s excellent performance, Sri Lanka’s bowlers gave up runs frequently.

The host team got off to a strong start, chasing 316. Anushka Sanjeewani’s 43* and captain Chamari Athapaththu’s 52 off 57 kept them in the hunt, but as soon.

Chloe Tryon entered the bowl, they fell apart.

The all-round player recorded a hat-trick and 5/34. She made history by becoming the first player to take a hat-trick and score fifty in a Women’s ODI. Ayabonga Khaka contributed two wickets as well.

Ultimately, Sri Lanka fell 76 runs short of the objective when they were bowled out for 239 in 42.5 overs. After this loss, the home team will start again and consider what went wrong. They just have two days to reassemble and adjust their strategy before playing India in the May 11 tri-series final.