In the third game of the Tri-Nation Series, Sri Lanka Women (SL-W) defeated South Africa Women (SA-W). At the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, the Lankan Lionesses achieved their first victory of the series by chasing down the target and winning by five wickets.

Taking full advantage of the circumstances, the Sri Lanka Women’s team won the toss and decided to bowl first. The SL-W bowlers made sure they controlled the scoring rate, even if the SA-W hitters were able to make some starts in spurts. The Lankan bowlers were at their best that day, and the Laura Wolvaardt-led team could only muster 235 in the end.

Despite the somewhat difficult batting circumstances, the Sri Lankan women’s hitters did not let the game slip away. The remaining SL-W batsmen built partnerships and made sure they maintained control of the game throughout the innings, with the exception of the early departure of captain and star batting all-rounder Chamari Athapaththu. They ultimately succeeded in chasing down the total in 46.3 overs.

The hosts’ main stars are Madara and Samarawickrama.

The game’s highlights were rising middle-order batsman Harshitha Samarawickrama and right-arm bowler Malki Madara, despite the hosts’ outstanding effort. Madara was the one who wreaked havoc with the ball, completing her quota of 10 overs with figures of 4/50.

Samarawickrama’s performance, however, cannot be overlooked because she contributed vital runs on a challenging Colombo wicket. In addition to forming significant partnerships with Hasini Perera and Kavisha Dilhari, Harshitha struck 77 from 93 deliveries during the game. Because of her mature and well paced innings, she was also named Player of the Match.