Sri Lanka’s next superstar is joined by two of the most consistent performers from Ireland in being nominated for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for August.
Harshitha Samarawickrama (Sri Lanka)
Samarawickrama continued her rise to stardom with some monster scores with the bat in August as the left-hander dominated against Ireland in both the ODI and T20I series.
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Fresh from an unbeaten 69* against India at the end of July, Samarawickrama improved her output upon arriving in Dublin as the registered scores of 86* and 65 from the two T20I matches to finish the two-match series as the leading run-scorer for both sides.
If that wasn’t enough, Samarawickrama then produced some even better numbers in the three-match ODI series against the Irish as she poured in scores of 19, 105 and 48* to again finish as the leading run-scorer in that series.
Orla Prendergast (Ireland)
While not quite able to match the run tally that Samarawickrama managed, Prendergast showcased her all-round talents during August with some impressive efforts in all facets of her game.
Prendergast contributed 67 runs and two wickets from a pair of appearances during the T20I series against Sri Lanka, but it was in the opening match of the ODI series that the 22-year-old really shone.
The 22-year-old collected figures of 3/25 with the new-ball and took a pair of catches to help restrict Sri Lanka to 260/8 in Belfast, before producing a knock for the ages in reply to score 122* from just 107 deliveries in the three-wicket victory.
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It was no surprise that Prendergast was awarded the Player of the Match award for her efforts and she once again made valuable contributions with the ball during the remainder of the series to help Ireland register a 2-1 series triumph.
Gaby Lewis (Ireland)
It was in the shortest format that Lewis shone brightest during August, with the prodigious right-hander scoring the highest individual score for Ireland in T20I cricket.
Lewis was in scintillating touch right from the outset of the second T20I of the series against Sri Lanka at Pembroke Cricket Club in Dublin, as she found the boundary from the opening over and went on to record a brilliant 119 from just 75 deliveries in a match-winning performance.
The 23-year-old hit 17 boundaries and two massive sixes during her stay as Ireland amassed 173/3 with the bat and that proved too much for Sri Lanka as the hosts held on to record the victory and tie the two-match series.
