New Zealand A Women 205/4 (44.3): Sam Curtis 93, Suzie McDonald 33, Sripali Weerakkody 1/25
Beat
Sri Lanka Women 204/9 (50): Dilani Manodara 41, Chamari Athapatthu 35, Frances Mackay 3/30, Thamsyn Newton 3/30
By 6 wickets
The Sri Lanka Women’s Cricket Tour of New Zealand got off to a dreadful start as the Kiwi A team cruised to a comfortable win over them. The one and only warm up match of the tour saw the Lankans fielding all 15 players in their squad, in order that the players may stake their claim to make the starting lineup for the 1st ODI on the 3rd of November.
Having won the toss, Captain Shashikala Siriwardene chose to bat first at the Burt Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. The openers Anushka Sanjeewani and Vice-Captain Chamari Athapatthu got the team off to a relatively good start, racking up 45 runs in 8 overs. Sanjeewani was the first to fall with the score on 45, unable to carry on with the good start she had gotten. In fact, this appeared to be the theme in Sri Lanka’s batting, with the top 7 batters all getting to double figures but being unable to kick on to big scores. Wickets fell at regular intervals and the scoring rate suffered as a result. Dilani Manodara and Skipper Siriwardene tried to resurrect the innings but when the former was dismissed by Frances Mackay for 41, things looked dire for the tourists. Siriwardene was the last one dismissed as the Lankans put up 204 for the loss of 9 wickets in their 50 overs. Mackay and 20 year old Thamsyn Newton picked up 3 wickets each for the NZ A girls.
Needing early wickets, Siriwardene turned to her spearhead Sripali Weerakkody. And she did not disappoint, picking up opener Mackay for 7. However Natalie Dodd and Sam Curtis steadied the innings with a partnership of 67 for the 2nd wicket. Katey Martin and Suzie McDonald too played excellent supporting roles to Curtis. The Sri Lankan bowlers were unable to get any wickets in quick succession as Curtis saw them home with a fine knock of 93 not out. There was not much to write home about from the Sri Lankan bowling, with Weerakkody, Inoka Ranaweera and last minute inclusion Achini Kulasooriya picking up a wicket a piece.
The Lankans will face a much sterner test when they come up against the White Ferns in the 1st ODI on Tuesday.
