Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama guided Sri Lanka to a comfortable win in the final ODI of their tour against Ireland in Belfast. Although Ireland had already secured the series 2-0, Sri Lanka finished strong, with Achini Kulasuriya leading a stellar bowling performance.
Ireland’s batting collapse began early, as Kulasuriya took three quick wickets, reducing them to 10 for 3 within five overs. The early damage saw Ireland slip to 28 for 5 before a brief recovery, led by Leah Paul and Arlene Kelly, pushed their total to 122. Kulasuriya struck off the first two balls of the innings, dismissing Sarah Forbes and Amy Hunter for ducks. Inoshi Priyadharshani and Amy Kanchana also contributed with a wicket each. Priyadharshini’s exceptional spell of 10 overs, including five maidens, ended with figures of 1 for 7, marking one of the most economical spells in Sri Lanka women’s ODI history.
Chasing a modest target, Athapaththu led from the front. After a quiet series with the bat, she found form in this game, scoring 48 off 49 balls, including ten boundaries. She shared a 32-run opening stand with Vishmi Gunaratne and then a 62-run partnership with Samarawickrama, who remained unbeaten on 48 from 56 balls. The pair’s effort took Sri Lanka to 94 before Athapaththu was dismissed, but by then, victory was within reach. Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari, who scored 10*, sealed the win in just 23.1 overs.
Despite the loss, Ireland won the ODI series 2-1, while the earlier T20I series ended in a 1-1 draw.
Leave a Reply