At the Grenada National Cricket Stadium, the West Indies Women achieved a solid chase, winning against the Sri Lanka Women by six wickets in the third ODI of the series. Despite Sri Lanka clinching the series earlier, the hosts fought back, led by a brilliant century from captain Hayley Matthews.
Harshitha Samarawickrama boosts Sri Lanka’s score
Sri Lanka Women chose to bat first after winning the toss, hoping to set a challenging target on a pitch that initially supported bowlers. They faced an early setback when captain Chamari Athapaththu was out for a two-ball duck.
Hasini Perera provided some stability with a brisk 27 off 34 balls, hitting five boundaries. The main contribution came from Harshitha Samarawickrama, who scored 70 off 112 balls, featuring seven fours. Kavisha Dilhari added a helpful 45 off 58 balls, maintaining momentum through the middle overs.
Late contributions from Dewmi Vihanga (12) and Sugandika Kumari (9 off 6) allowed Sri Lanka to finish with a respectable total of 217/7 in their 50 overs. For the West Indies, Matthews excelled with the ball, taking 2 wickets for 33 runs in her 10 overs. Karishma Ramharack also took two wickets, while Afy Fletcher and Ashmini Munisar added one each, preventing the visitors from scoring more.
Hayley Matthews leads West Indies to victory
In their chase of 218, West Indies Women started poorly, losing Qiana Joseph for 2 and Shemaine Campbelle for a duck, putting them under pressure early.
However, Matthews steadied the ship with a superb 100 off 119 balls, hitting 13 boundaries and one six. She formed a crucial partnership with Stafanie Taylor, who scored 38 off 70 balls to strengthen the innings.
After laying a solid foundation, Chinelle Henry added 32 off 48 balls, while Deandra Dottin finished with a quick 24 off 29 balls, including a significant six. The West Indies reached 218/4 in 46 overs, winning with four overs to spare.
For Sri Lanka, Malki Madara took two wickets, and Inoka Ranaweera and Athapaththu took one each, but they struggled to contain Matthews’ innings.
Even though Sri Lanka lost the third ODI, they won the three-match series 2-1, having previously claimed victory by 10 runs and 14 runs in the first two matches. This win will boost West Indies Women’s confidence as they move on to the T20I segment of the tour.
