Lanka face heavy odds – bank on home advantage

 Rival captains at practice: Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka) and Sophie Devine (New Zealand)

• Three-match WODI series against New Zealand commences at Galle today

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka women’s cricket captain Chamari Athapaththu is confident that with wins in the WODI and WT20I against Bangladesh in the recent home series they can give New Zealand a good contest when the three-match WODI series opens at the Galle International Cricket Stadium today.

The second and third WODI are scheduled for 30 June and 3 July at the same venue. The series is important for both teams as it carries points in the ICC Women’s Championships. Currently, New Zealand are third in the standings with eight points from six matches (3 wins) and Sri Lanka fifth with six points from nine matches (2 wins).

Chamari said that they will be banking on home conditions to have an advantage over New Zealand who are coming straight from the cold to hot and humid conditions at Galle.   

“I believe the conditions at Galle will be easy for us. I know that the present weather conditions are not suited to the New Zealand cricketers. That is an advantage. If we perform to our potential we can do something special and win,” said Chamari at the pre-match press conference.

“If you take the New Zealand team they rely a lot on pace but in these conditions we can change it. If you take our spinners they have been performing well in recent matches. We don’t have any problems with our bowlers who know how to use these conditions, it is our batting which is a bit of a concern. We have managed to correct at least 30 percent of our mistakes. If our batters contribute it can make a big difference to the series.”

“Players like Harshitha Madavi and Nilakshi de Silva took a lot of responsibilities and contributed. There are also newcomers like Imesha  Dulani and Vishmi Gunaratne, I am expecting them to perform well in the series. In bowling, we have experienced bowlers like Inoka Ranaweera, Oshadi Ranasinghe and Udeshika Prabodhani, and also newcomer Kawya  Kavindi. As captain I have faith in them to perform well.”

Sophie Devine, the New Zealand women’s team skipper said that playing in Sri Lanka under their own conditions is going to be a real challenge for them. The tour will be the first time the White Ferns (as New Zealand are referred to) have ever visited Sri Lanka for a bilateral series. Of the touring squad, only Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates have experienced playing in Sri Lanka, during the New Zealand 2012 T20 World Cup campaign under the leadership of current Black Caps head coach Gary Stead. The remainder of the touring squad has a familiar feel to it, with Devine leading the side, alongside other experienced internationals Melie Kerr, Lea Tahuhu and Maddy Green. Eden Carson and Fran Jonas continue alongside Kerr in a young spin group that will suit the dry sub-continent conditions.

White Ferns women head coach Ben Sawyer said he was relishing the opportunity to work with the squad in new and testing conditions.“This is the first time almost all of the squad will have experienced playing in Sri Lanka so it’s a good opportunity for our players to develop their game in testing sub-continent conditions. Sri Lanka will pose challenges with the unfamiliar conditions out in the middle, but also with the heat and humidity, so we will need to be able to adapt quickly both on and off the field.”

“We adapted to similar heat and conditions in the West Indies, so that experience should bode well in Sri Lanka. We also have a handful of players who have played in similar sub-continent conditions in India so that experience will be valuable for us to adapt.”

Sri Lanka Women: 

Chamari Athapaththu (Captain), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Kawya Karvindi, Sugandika Kumari, Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Hansima Karunaratne, Inoshi Fernando, Imesha Dulani, Hasini Perera.

New Zealand Women: 

Sophie Devine (Captain), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Melie Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu.