Women's T20 WC, Sri Lanka upset hosts South Africa: Stats
The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023 got underway with a stunner as Sri Lanka defeated hosts South Africa in the opener on Friday (February 10). While the thrilling contest went right down to the wire, the Lankans eventually walked away with a three-run win, having successfully defended 129. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu and Inoka Ranaweera starred for SL. Here we present the key stats.
How did the game pan out?
SA won the toss and opted to bowl at Newlands, Cape Town. While SL lost opener Harshitha Madavi (8) cheaply, Athapaththu (68) and Vishmi Gunaratne (35) added 86 runs for the second wicket. SA bowlers did well in the end overs as SL posted 129/4. In reply, the Proteas side lost wickets at regular intervals and was restricted to 126/9. Ranaweera dismissed three batters.
Sixth WT20I fifty for Chamari Athapaththu
Athapaththu's 68-run knock from 50 balls was laced with 12 boundaries. She now owns 2,249 runs in 107 WT20Is at 21.83 (50s: 6, 100: 1). The left-handed batter equaled England's Danielle Wyatt in terms of WT20I runs. Shashikala Siriwardene (1,097) is the only other SL batter with 1,000 or more WT20I runs. Athapaththu has raced to 616 T20 WC runs in 25 games.
A handy contribution from Gunaratne
Batting at number three, Gunaratne contributed with a handy 34-ball 35 (4 boundaries). The 17-year-old, who is among the youngest players to feature in a T20 WC match, now owns 139 runs in 10 WT20I games at 15.44. Her best score reads 45.
Fight from skipper Sune Luus
Though several SA batters got starts, none of them were able to play a defining knock. Skipper Sune Luus, who scored a 27-ball 28, was the only Proteas batter to cross the 20-run mark. She has now raced to 1,030 runs in 97 games at 21.02 (SR: 104.99). The tally includes four fifties. She now owns 190 runs in 19 T20 WC games.
Three-fer for Inoka Ranaweera
SL's left-arm spinner Ranaweera delivered a stellar spell and returned with figures worth 3/18 in four overs. She has now raced to 71 wickets in 63 games with her economy rate being 5.73 (BBI: 4/7). Shashikala Siriwardene (77) is the only other SL bowler with more WT20I wickets. Meanwhile, Ranaweera has raced to 14 T20 WC wickets in as many games (ER: 5.82).
Two wickets apiece for Sugandika Kumari and Oshadi Ranasinghe
Ranaweera was well supported by pacer Oshadi Ranasinghe and left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari, who claimed figures worth 2/20 and 2/28 respectively. The latter has raced to 38 wickets in 56 WT20I games (ER: 6.02). Meanwhile, Ranasinghe now boasts 53 wickets in 58 games (ER: 6.75). Ranasinghe and Kumari own seven and six WT20 WC wickets respectively.
