Sri Lanka, who were put in to bat first, posted 129-4 and restricted South Africa to 126-9 thanks to a brilliant bowling performance from their spinners; watch every match of the Women’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports.
By Amar Mehta
Sri Lanka shocked hosts South Africa in the opening match of the Women’s T20 World Cup with a magnificent three-run victory in Cape Town.
Put in to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 129-4 thanks largely to an 86-run second-wicket partnership between Chamari Atapattu (68) and Vishmi Gunaratne (35).
South Africa pegged Sri Lanka back, taking three wickets in the last three overs, with Shabnim Ismail (1-22) and Marizanne Kapp (1-15) restricting the Sri Lankan middle order.
Sri Lanka took two wickets in the 12th over as they turned the game on its head
In response, the tournament hosts got off to a good start with Laura Wolvaardt (18) and Tazmin Brits (12) sharing a 29 run partnership. But after Oshadi Ranasinghe (2-20) and Inoka Ranaweera (3-18) removed the openers, South Africa were up against it and never recovered.
Despite Sune Luus (28) and Sinalo Jafta (15) making cameos, Sri Lanka took regular wickets and South Africa couldn’t build any partnerships and were ultimately unable to chase down the 13 required in the last over.
The turning point came in the 12th over when Sugandika Kumari (2-28) took the wickets of Chloe Tryon (10) and Anneke Bosch (0).
Despite a late flurry by Jafta, Sri Lanka got over the line thanks to some excellent bowling from their spinners.
What did the captains say?
Sri Lanka’s Chamari Atapattu: “We have a good culture in the team. We have a lot of youngsters, we share knowledge with them and the senior players have done well. They always think about the game and that is the secret.
“The wicket was really good for batting. I would definitely have batted first. I thought 140-150 was a good score and unfortunately we didn’t get there because Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp bowled really well in the powerplay and that is why we didn’t get 150.
“We have shocked big teams before and we have done it again. We want to get to the semi-finals. I hope we can get there because it is my eighth World Cup and I haven’t been there yet so I want to be there with my team.”
Chamari Atapattu hit 50 from 42 balls in the Women’s T20 World Cup game against South Africa.
South Africa’s Sune Luus: “Sri Lanka had a good partnership and we lacked that in our batting innings. I thought chasing 130 was a par score and that 140-150 would have been a good score on that pitch. I don’t think Sri Lanka ran away with the game.
“I think one game doesn’t define us. The World Cup has a long away to go. Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail were exceptional today. Lots of positives going into the next games.”
What’s next for South Africa and Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka are back in action on Sunday, when they face Bangladesh at Newlands, Cape Town.
South Africa will look to bounce back on Monday, against New Zealand at Boland Park, Paarl.
Watch both games live on Sky Sports Cricket.
What’s next in the T20 World Cup?
The T20 World Cup continues on Saturday with a couple of blockbuster ties.
First up, England face the West Indies at 1pm from Boland Park. Both teams are former winners and will hope they can go deep in South Africa. Watch England’s opening match live on Sky Sports Main Event and Cricket from 12.30pm.
Then, holders Australia face neighbours New Zealand from 5pm at the same ground.
Watch every T20 World Cup match live on Sky Sports