The T20I series is concluded in St. George's with a sense of clinical dominance as Sri Lanka Women secured a 2-0 series victory over the West Indies. After a rain-affected start to the series, the visitors left no doubt about their superiority in the final T20I and ended this tour on a high note.
The post-match ceremony has been a jubilant affair, centered around the legendary skipper and Player of the Series, Chamari Athapaththu. As she is handed the silverware, Athapaththu displays her trademark leadership, immediately turning to her teammates to share the prize. The squad, joined by the match officials, gathers behind the WINNER board for the official photographs, capturing a historic moment on Caribbean soil.
The smiles are wide, and the atmosphere is celebratory as the entire contingent poses with the trophy, marking a successful campaign where both the seasoned veterans and rising stars like Hasini Perera shone brightly.
Until then, I am Dev Rajawat, signing off, along with my co-commentators, Manan Mehta, Saptak Sanyal, and scorer Raju Khariya. Thatās it from our side. Thanks for joining. But cricket doesnāt sleep. Plenty is happening around the world. Switch tabs, follow the fun. Goodbye from this tab! TAKE CARE! BREATHE AND SMILE! CIAO!!!!!
Sri Lanka Women outplayed West Indies Women in all phases. Better Powerplay. Better middle overs. Better finishing. West Indies had flashes, but consistency wins T20s. One wicket lost in a chase tells its own story. The visitors walk away with momentum. The hosts? Lessons to absorb.
Chamari Athapaththu (POTS and Sri Lanka Women Captain): "Actually just playing my natural game helps. The younger players did well really well. Like Inoka Ranaweera. A lot going on in my favour so that helps.
West Indies are favourites in this format. They have some really good power hitters. We may not be able to beat them every day. However, we executed well this time around. The World Cup is coming up and that will be a big thing for all of us."
Player of the Series: Chamari Athapaththu
Hayley Kristen Matthews (West Indies Women Captain):"(Was 119 enough on the board?) I think we were a bit off considering how good the surface was. Kudos goes to how they batted in the second innings. I feel like if we could've done better in the middle, it would've been better for us.
(On powerplay issues) Not really worried. I didn't score runs and that's the issue. Otherwise the powerplay would feel a lot different for us. I think contrary to what you said. We have a few more tours coming up before the world cup. We can get things right and combinations going. The conditions in Grenada are a bit different as well. A lot of things to work on but nothing to panic as yet.
(PosItive takeaways ahead of Australia series) Specially some youngsters stepped up like Jannillea Glasgow. She stepped up and we got over 200 in a few games in the ODI series. Our bowling has been good. We have to give credit to the areas we are doing well.
(On the crowd support) Yeah they have been great. It's been great playing here in Grenada. Obviously the home girl Afy Fletcher getting to play her 100th game here. It was special for her. Really happy to see the Grenadian crowd here."
Hasini Perera (POTM): "I actually tried to rotate the strike as much as possible. Also hit the occasional boundary. Got good support from my partner.
Imesha and I decided to rotate the strike after the first wicket. After we got the 20-run stand we decided to go for the big shots."
Player of the Match: Hasini Perera
Time for the post-match presentations...
1:20 AM IST, 3:50 PM LOCAL TIME: When patience meets precision, what do you get? A nine-wicket win with 14 balls to spare.Sri Lanka Women have chased 120 with authority, finishing at 121/1 in 17.4 overs, and they have clinched the 3-match series by 2-0, with one game being washed out due to rain. Clinical. Calm. Commanding. West Indies Women posted 119/5 in 20 overs, but the total never truly felt imposing. From a steady Powerplay to a composed middle phase, Sri Lanka dictated the tempo. One wicket. Thatās all they lost. In T20 terms⦠thatās domination with a side of discipline.
How did the chase begin? Any early nerves? Not at all. Powerplay score - 48/0 in 6 overs. Thatās statement cricket. Zaida Jamesā first over went for 12. Chamari Athapaththu looked sharp - 32 off 22. Boundaries flowed. Hasini Perera rotated smartly. Fifty came in 7.3 overs. Required rate stayed under control. Sri Lanka were ahead of the asking rate from ball one.
Did West Indies find a breakthrough? A glimmer of hope? Yes⦠briefly. Afy Fletcher struck at the end of the 7th over, removing Athapaththu. That ended a fluent 49-run opening stand in 42 balls. But that was the only dent. Drinks at 67/1 in 10 overs. Perera was steady on 31. Enter Imeesha Dulani. Momentum resumed. The second-wicket partnership added 72 runs in 64 balls. That sealed it. Game. Set. Match.
Hasini Perera anchored beautifully - 52 unbeaten off 59 balls. Her fifty came off 58 balls, with 4 fours and a six. Dulani supported with 34 unbeaten off 25, striking at 136. Sri Lanka crossed 100 in 15.6 overs. No panic. No rush. Just controlled acceleration. Target reached at 17.4 overs. Efficiency at its finest.
Now rewind⦠earlier, what happened in the first innings? West Indies started shakily. Powerplay - 42/3 in 6 overs. Matthews fell at 13/1. Hector and Brathwaite followed quickly. Early collapse pressure. Drinks at 58/3 in 10 overs. Taylor and Dottin tried rebuilding. But strike rates hovered around 60-70. The momentum never truly spiked.
Any late fireworks from the hosts? Yes. Finally. Chinelle Henry exploded at the end - 32 off 15 balls, striking at 213.33. Two sixes. Three fours. West Indies crossed 100 in 18.6 overs. The last two overs yielded 21 and 15 runs. That surge lifted them to 119/5. Respectable. But maybe 15-20 short. Sri Lankaās bowlers were disciplined - Ranaweera 4-0-16-2, Dilhari 4-0-13-1, Kumari 4-0-32-2. Control through the middle overs made the difference.