Vishmi, Kavisha give Sri Lanka winning 2-0 lead over West Indies

 Kavisha Dilhari celebrates wicket on way to career best figures of 4/20

Vishmi Gunaratne is all poise during 

run-a-ball 50

• Moves up to fifth spot in ICC Women’s Championship table

Vishmi Gunaratne, with the bat, and Kavisha Dilhari, with the ball, starred for Sri Lanka in their five-wicket win over West Indies in the second Women’s ODI played at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Cricket Stadium yesterday giving their team an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

It is Sri Lanka’s first series win against the West Indies since 2008.

The two back-to-back victories in the series propelled Sri Lanka to fifth place in the ICC Women’s Championship table, putting them in line for direct qualification for the next ICC Women’s 50-over Cricket World Cup in India in 2025.

So far, Sri Lanka has gained four points from their two wins, and a win in the third and final WODI on Friday 21 June will push them to fourth position in the table.

Sri Lanka’s win was set up by the bowlers, especially the spinners, after West Indies had won the toss and chose to bat first.

Spinner Dilhari’s career best figures of 4/20 saw West Indies fold up for 92 in 31 overs. She had good support from skipper Chamari Athapaththu (2/8) and the two left-arm spinners Sachini Nisansala and Sugandika Kumari, who kept up the pressure from the other end.

So tight was the bowling that West Indies failed to come to terms with the slow and sluggish pitch, and struggled to rotate the strike often, resulting in several dot balls played. Of their total, 52 runs came in boundaries and just 40 from running between wickets, despite batting for 31 overs.

Sri Lanka sauntered to victory on the back of Gunaratne’s run-a-ball 50 (9 fours, 1 six) despite losing Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama inside the first 10 overs.

Dilhari followed her excellent bowling performance by scoring 28 off 38 balls in a partnership of 58 for the third wicket that brought Sri Lanka closer to their victory target.

Gunaratne, Hasini Perera, and Dilhari were dismissed within the space of 10 runs but there was no denying Sri Lanka the win, which they achieved with plenty of overs to spare.

Scores: 

West Indies Women 92 (31) (Rashada Williams 24, Achini Kulasuriya 2/16, Kavisha Dilhari 4/20, Chamari Athapaththu 2/8)

Sri Lanka Women 93-5 (21.2) (Vishmi Gunaratne 50, Kavisha Dilhari 28, Karishma Ramharack 2/29)