Another inadequate batting effort from West Indies Women condemned them to a ponderous 160-run defeat and an embarrassing whitewash in their three-match One-Day International series against Sri Lanka Women in Sri Lanka recently.
The Sri Lankan women gathered 275 for six from their 50 overs with brilliant batting performances from Chamari Athapaththu with 91, Nilakshika Silva with 63 and Anushka Sanjeewani with 55. West Indies Women collapsed for only 115 in the 25th over to lose their third straight game by a wide margin.
They lost the opening ODI by six wickets after making only 195 runs and succumbed in the second ODI by five wickets after posting an insignificant 92 runs.
Opener Chedean Nation top-scored with 46 from 67 balls while all-rounder Aaliyah Alleyne supported in with a run-a-ball 27 but no other batsman managed to pass 20, left-arm spinner Sachini Nisansala ripped apart the innings to finish with 5 for 28 and take the Player-of-the-Match title.
“Obviously Sri Lanka playing at home, you know there’s a home advantage when you get to play in our country,” said stand-in captain Shemaine Campbelle.
“I think they played some good cricket and a few supporters were there for them as well so all in all, I think they played [a] good brand of cricket and you must give credit to them.”
Captain Athapaththu was spectacular at the top of the order, lashing ten fours and a brace of sixes off 106 balls, and posting 93 for the first wicket with Vishmi Gunaratne whose 44 came from 60 balls, counting half-dozen fours.
West Indies Women off-spinner Karishma Ramharack (2-46) struck twice in quick succession as the home side lost three wickets for six runs in the space of 18 balls.
Stumbling on 99 for 3 in the 23rd over, Sri Lanka Women rebounded with a 57-run fourth wicket partnership between Athapaththu and Silva, who then combined with wicketkeeper Sanjeewani in a 117-run, fifth wicket stand to deflate West Indies Women.
Silva struck eight fours while Sanjeewani blasted six fours and a six in a terrific 46-ball cameo.
West Indies Women then had a disastrous start to their chase when Rashada Williams was caught at the wicket off veteran left-arm pacer Udeshika Prabodhani for one at the start of the fifth over, and Campbelle was lbw to pacer Kawya Kavindi without scoring in the next over.
Slumping at five for two, West Indies Women were pulled around by Nation who struck seven fours to inspire a 57-run, third wicket stand with former captain Stafanie Taylor (16).
Taylor departed at the beginning of the 20th over caught behind off off-spinner Oshadi Ranasinghe (2-14), the innings fell apart as the last eight wickets went down for only 53 runs.
