Sri Lanka 121 for 1 (Perera 52*, Dulani 34*; Fletcher 1-14) beat West Indies 119 for 5 (Henry 32*, Dottin 28; Ranaweera 2-16) by 9 wickets
The West Indies suffered a 9-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka in the 3rd Women’s T20I in St. George's, Grenada, on Tuesday, following another tame effort with the bat. The Caribbean side once again failed to score faster than a run-a-ball before the Sri Lankan openers scripted a comfortable win.
With 120 runs to get, Hasini Perera and player of the series Chamari Athapaththu once again laid a sturdy platform for the visiting team’s chase. The duo put on 49 runs (42 balls) for the first wicket before Athapaththu fell for a potential match-snatching 22-ball 32.
Perera (52*) was joined by Imesha Dulani (34*), and the pair shared in an unbroken 72-run 2nd wicket stand, which saw Sri Lanka home without much fuss with 14 balls to spare, at 121 for 1.
The opener has come under heavy criticism following his 33-ball 32
West Indies captain Shai Hope admits his innings against India in Sunday’s Super Eight encounter at the ICC T20 World Cup might have been the difference between the two teams in his side’s 5-wicket loss.
When asked if a more aggressive approach on his part could have resulted in the Caribbean side adding 15-20 runs to their first innings total of 195 for 4, the Barbadian replied, “Yes, that's my answer, yes.”
Hope hit three boundaries and a maximum before he was bowled by Varun Chakravarthy on 32 with the 33rd delivery that ended his innings. His wicket was the first to fall and left the West Indies 68 for 1 in the 9th over.
“It's one of those things; sometimes you just don't get the ball away,” Hope said. “As much as you’d love to come and hit every single ball for six, it doesn't happen.”
Sri Lanka 102 for 6 (Athapaththu 39, Dilhari 18*; Joseph 2-13) beat West Indies 101 all out (Matthews 28, Taylor 14; Malki 3-16) by 4 wickets
Athapaththu’s all-round effort was the difference between the teams
The West Indies went down to Sri Lanka by 4 wickets in the 2nd Women’s T20 International at the St. George's National Cricket Stadium in Grenada on Sunday, falling 1-0 behind in the 3-match series. The Caribbean side was bundled out for 101 before the Sri Lankans put on a match-winning opening partnership to set up the win.
Chasing 102 for victory, Chamari Athapaththu and Hasini Perera (18) accounted for more than half of the required runs, sharing in a 45-ball 62-run opening stand. Athapaththu top-scored with 39 (from 26 balls) to put Sri Lanka in the driver's seat.
Spells of 2 for 132 from Qiana Joseph and 2 for 16 from Afy Fletcher saw the visitors lose 5 wickets for 12 runs, to be restricted to 74 for 5. The damage had, however, already been done, with Kavisha Dilhari’s unbeaten 18 (13 balls) helping Sri Lanka secure the win at 102 for 6, with 11 balls to spare.
India 199 for 5 (Samson 97*, Varma 27; Holder 2-38) beat West Indies 195 for 4 (Chase 40, Holder 37; Bumrah 2-36) by 5 wickets
The West Indies were eliminated from the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup following a 5-wicket loss to India at Eden Gardens on Sunday. The Caribbean side overcame a slow start to set the hosts 196 for victory, before a monster innings from Sanju Samson set up an India win.
Samson was at the heart of everything India did in the chase. The opener’s 50-ball unbeaten 97 meant he featured in every partnership before taking 10 runs from the first two deliveries of the 20th over to secure a semi-final spot for the home team.
He and India were watchful to begin, before the right-hander targeted Akeal Hosein in the 3rd over. He hit two sixes and a four before Hosein responded with the wicket of Abhishek Sharma (10). Jason Holder then got rid of Ishan Kishan for a similar score, to leave India 53 for 2 at the end of the powerplay.
Samson shared in a 58-run partnership (from 35 balls) with skipper Suryakumar Yadav (18) for the 3rd wicket before putting on 42 runs (26 balls) with Tilak Varma (27) for the 4th.
Cricket West Indies has confirmed its decision to forgo the one-off Women’s Test, which was set to highlight Australia’s tour of the Caribbean, bowling off in March. CWI’s Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe says the move is strategic and will assist in focusing on the shorter formats with an eye on the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup beginning in June.
"Our planning this year prioritizes maximizing white-ball readiness ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “This series forms a central part of that preparation, allowing us to concentrate resources and build combinations.”
The Test, initially scheduled as part of the ICC Future Tours Program, would have been West Indies’ first since 2004, and Bascombe revealed that CWI is already seeking other opportunities for the Caribbean side to return to the format.
“We remain committed to the long-term growth of women’s Test cricket, and discussions are already underway for a future red-ball opportunity, including a highly anticipated series against England in 2027,” Bascombe said.
