Chamari Carnage

It wouldn’t be a World Cup in any format without a masterclass innings from Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu who score an unbeaten 106 out of 134 to keep her teams’ hopes of a semi final alive.

Chamari won the toss for Sri Lanka at Bristol and sent Ireland in to bat. Not the highest scoring ground at this tournament, Ireland would have still been looking at 150+.

Ireland lost Amy Hunter in a bizarre runout in the first over, then key batter Orla Prendergast in the second. From the get go they were under the pump. If not for a fighting knock from skipper Gaby Lewis (59) and some late innings innovation from Alice Tector (28*) the total would have been far worse than the under-par 130/5. It is a perfect demonstration of the need for a team to build a solid foundation in the Poewrplay.

Imesha Dulani played some lovely strokes in her innings of 20 runs, although you might not have noticed. She was the first wicket to fall when the score 98. At the other end Chamari Athapaththu was having a merry old time dominating the strike and the bowlers. Her 106* came from 61 deliveries and included 17 fours and two sixes. It was vintage Athapaththu, later named Player of the Match.

The win gave Sri Lanka a valuable 2 points but the battle for a spot in the semis is all but nullified. They are one of three teams yearning for a spot in top two of Pool B, the others being West Indies and New Zealand. If West Indies defeat Ireland, as one might expect, then both New Zealand and Sri Lanka will miss out.

That said, a win against Scotland in their final game would keep their hopes alive, however slim they may be.

Scores

Ireland 130/5 (Gaby Lewis 59, Alice Tector 28*, Nilakshi de Silva 1-12, Mithali Ayodhya 1-18) lost to
Sri Lanka 134/1 (Chamari Athapaththu 106*) by 9 wickets

POTM: Chamari Athapaththu