There have already been many outstanding performances and instances of player athleticism in the current Women’s ODI Tri-Nation series involving South Africa, Sri Lanka, and India. On Friday, May 02, during the match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, Nilakshika Silva made an incredible catch, demonstrating one such instance of a superb fielding effort.
At Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium, the visitors had begun the match batting first and had already lost half the team with only 120 runs scored. For the sixth wicket, Annerie Dercksen and Chloe Tryon had a strong half-century partnership. But just as it appeared that the ship was saved from sinking, Tryon took a hard hit off debutant Dewmi Vihanga.
As she rushed in towards the ball, Nilakshika, who was positioned in the long-on area, perfectly timed her dive and was able to grab the ball. In addition to keeping her body away from the boundary, the fielder made a catch that was only inches from the ropes, giving the spinner her second wicket in international cricket. Nilakshika herself appeared momentarily stunned following her flash of inspiration to execute a blinder.
Check the video of Nilakshika’s blinder of a catch here
𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭, 𝐍𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐝𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐯𝐚…😱
She plucks the ball out of thin air to send Chloe Tryon back and break a budding partnership between the former and Annerie Dercksen 🙌#SLvSA #TriSeries #ODISeries pic.twitter.com/EdUQsiH74l
— FanCode (@FanCode) May 2, 2025
Wolvaardt & Co. post 236 target for the hosts
Meanwhile, a decent batting effort by the Laura Wolvaardt-led side helped them post 235 after losing nine wickets in their 50 overs. Dercksen, the young batter, was the star with the bat for her brilliant 61 off just 60 balls, contributing a much-needed flow of runs under pressure. Her knock consisted of four boundaries and a solitary six. Tryon, with whom she stitched a 66-run partnership, also made 35 off 40 balls.
With the ball, Malki Madara completed an exceptional spell with the ball for her four-wicket haul, whereas, Vihanga also took three crucial wickets. Sugandika Kumari and Inoka Ranaweera also shared a wicket each against their tally.
As of writing, the game is evenly poised after 32 overs into the Sri Lankan innings. With the scoreboard reading 153-3, the Chamari Athapaththu-led side needs a further 83 runs from 18 overs with seven wickets in hand. Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari are currently batting and their partnership has already reached 63 runs, after the side was in some spot of bother having lost three wickets for just 90 runs.
