In an exciting contest at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, the West Indies Women secured a six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Women in the second T20I of the West Indies Women tour of Sri Lanka 2024. With the win, the Caribbean side also levelled the 3-match series.
West Indies level the series in a thrilling encounter! 🏏🌧️ A tough loss for our Lionesses, but we'll bounce back stronger in the decider.
Congratulations to the Windies on a well-fought victory. 🙌 #SLvWI pic.twitter.com/WyR3FhWhpT
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) June 26, 2024
Afy Fletcher stars with the ball
After being asked to bat first, Sri Lanka Women struggled to build momentum after being put into bat, finishing at 89 for 4 in 15.2 overs. The top order showed some resilience with Vishmi Rajapaksha Gunaratne scoring 24 off 35 balls and Chamari Athapaththu contributing 26 off 25 balls. Imesha Dulani, Harshitha Samarawickrama, and Kavisha Dilhari provided brief cameos to push the score forward, but none could capitalize on their starts due to consistent pressure from the West Indies bowlers.
Afy Fletcher was the standout bowler for the West Indies, claiming four wickets for 23 runs in her 3.2 overs, effectively stifling the Sri Lankan batting lineup. The rest of the West Indies bowlers supported her well, maintaining a tight grip on the scoring rate throughout the innings.
4-fer by Afy Fletcher against Sri Lanka 👏#women #cricket #SLvWI #afyflectcher #westindiescricket #CricketTwitter #WomenCricket pic.twitter.com/ffuCxMoax7
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) June 26, 2024
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West Indies level the series with easy win
In response, the West Indies Women successfully chased down the revised target of 99 runs in 14.1 overs, with six wickets in hand. Hayley Matthews led the charge with a steady 29 off 29 balls, hitting five boundaries. Stafanie Taylor anchored the innings with 28 off 26 balls, ensuring the team remained on track. Shemaine Campbelle and Aaliyah Alleyne provided the necessary support with quickfire contributions of 16 and 15 runs, respectively.
The victory in the second T20I levelled the series 1-1, setting up an exciting decider in the third and final match. The Sri Lanka Women will aim to bounce back and clinch the series, while the West Indies Women will look to build on their momentum and secure a series win. The final match of the series is scheduled for Friday, June 28, at the same venue, promising another thrilling encounter between these two competitive sides.
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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
