PREVIEW
By Srian Oveyesekere
Sri Lanka and South Africa will face off in a must win crucial contest on Friday at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium to break free from a negative blank loss blot to a box seat insulated India which has by large played the better cricket to calling the shots in the Servo Cup Women’s ODI Tri Series forerunner to the big show ICC World Cup this year.
In that skidding that puts the onus on either side to to getting their act right to hitting the winning trail, hosts Sri Lanka will need to soul search mainly whether they fielded the best eleven against India. Opening batter Vishmi Gunaratne was a missing link where the steady balance she had progressively infused upfront was a lacking component to stabilizing the frontline batting.
Her absence did show up the batting department where there was nobody to carry the batting once the top two skipper Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrsma had fallen early.
Without the upfront depth of Athapaththu and Samarawickrama, the Lankan batting struggled to giving India the upper hand.
The bowling too failed to live up to expectations where the skipper’sy decision opening the attack with the pace of Malki Madara backfired with the Indian openers going on the offensive.
Playing the Indians might have given the hosts a better chance of defending the small 172 total.
Meanwhile, South Africa too apparently face the same handicap being mainly dependant on openers, centurion Tazmin Brits vs India and Skipper Laura Wolvaardt with the middle order brittleness exposed to the hilt by the Indians mainly Sneh Rana in beating them with spin.
Both the Lankan and South African bowling departments lackluster against the Indians will be a vital area as well both sides will have to get right.
Sri Lanka squad:
Chamari Athapaththu (c), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Hasini Perera, Piumi Wathsala, Manudi Nanayakkara, Dewmi Vihanga, Inoka Ranaweera, Inoshi Fernando, Hansima Karunaratne, Rashmika Sewwandi, Malki Madara, Sugandika Kumari, Achini Kulsuriya
South Africa squad:
Laura Wolvaardt (Captain), Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Lara Goodall, Sinalo Jafta, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Suné Luus, Karabo Meso, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Seshnie Naidu, Nondumiso Shangase, Miané Smit, Chloé Tryon.
This post is an official press release by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
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