Sri Lankan lasses strike first to take series lead
Sanjana Kavindi was adjudged the Player of the Match
Sanjana Kavindi along with Chamodi Praboda and Aseni Thalagune put in match winning performances to guide Sri Lanka Women U19s to record a 25-run win over the visiting Australia Women U19s in the first of the five T20s played at the Rangiri Dambulla Stadium yesterday. With the win, Sri Lanka took an early 1-0 lead.
Opener Sanjana Kavindi cracked a quick-fire knock of 62 off 46 balls, including six boundaries and a six as she put on an opening stand of 88 runs with her partner Vimoksha Balasuriya. In contrast to Sanjana, Vimoksha played a patient role by chipping in with 21 runs off 43 deliveries.
Later skipper Mamudi Nanayakkara joined in as she remained unbeaten on 28 after facing 19 balls and hitting a four and two sixes. She shared an unbroken stand of 36 runs for the fourth wicket with Rashmi Nethranjali, who remained unbeaten with a run-a-ball nine, as Sri Lanka made 133-3 after being put into bat.
Australia, in their run chase lost two early wickets with at on 21, but they recovered when opener Shiloh Julien and Emily Powell paired up to put on a valuable stand of 61 runs for the third wicket. But their separation with the dismissal of Shiloh saw them falling back.
From a healthy position of 82-3 they lost wickets at regular intervals as left-arm spinner Chamodi Praboda, 16, wrecked the top order batting to finish with figures of 3 for 15. Later on Aseni Thalagune joined the party to spoil Australia’s chances of recording a win, as she ended with figures of 3 for 25 to restrict the visitors at 108. The two teams will play their second T20 game at the same venue today.
| Brief Scores | |
| Sri Lanka Women U19s 133 for 3 (20) (Sanjana Kavindi 62, Manudi Nanayakkara 28n.o., Vimoksha Balasuriya 21; Ava Drury 2/23) Australia Women U19s 108 for 8 (20) (Emily Powell 39, Shiloh Julien 28, Lucy Finn 16; Chamodi Praboda 3/16 Aseni Thalagune 3/25) |