By M. Shamil Amit
Sri Lanka Women skipper Chamari Athapaththu made amends for two earlier failures in the T20 series against New Zealand Women slamming a swashbuckling 47-ball unbeaten 80 and leading her team to a 10-wicket at the P. Sara Stadium yesterday.
Athapaththu and her opening partner Harshitha Samarawickrama, who remained unbeaten on 49 made in 40 balls with seven boundaries, put on an unbroken 143-run partnership -- Sri Lanka’s highest for any wicket in T20Is -- chasing the target down in 14.3 overs.
Earlier in the day New Zealand Women invited to take first lease of the wicket were given a sedate start of 43 runs by openers Suzie Bates and Isabella Gaze and at the halfway stage of the innings they were 65 for 1.
From there on they lost wickets at regular intervals and despite a knock of 46 coming from skipper Sophie Devine the others failed to make any impression and they were restricted for a score of 140 runs. While Sri Lanka lost the T20I series 2-1, winning three of the six matches they played against the visitors on this tour -- a team that Sri Lanka had not previously beaten in any form of the game.
Result:
At P. Sara Stadium – Sri Lanka Women won by ten wickets
New Zealand Women 140 for 9 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 46, Suzie Bates 37: Inoka Ranaweera 3 for 15, Sugandika Kumari 2 for 23)
Sri Lanka Women 143 for 0 in 14.3 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 80 n.o., Harshitha Samarawickrama 49 n.o.)
