Image Credit- Getty
With a
second-highest total in the format, led by Laura Wolvaardt’s first T20I
century, South Africa made a decisive start to their series against Sri Lanka.
In the first encounter between these two teams since the last T20 World Cup,
they posted 198 for 5 and bowled Sri Lanka out for 119 to win the first game of
the three-match series by 79 runs.
Since then, the countries’ fates have differed. On that occasion, South Africa
fell to Sri Lanka in the tournament’s opening match but advanced to the final.
Sri Lanka has played 12 matches and won seven, whereas South Africa has played
10 full Twenty20 Internationals and lost seven. However, recent performance was
meaningless as Sri Lanka dispatched South Africa in to bat on a flat Benoni
pitch.
After Tazmin Brits
was removed in the third over, Marizanne Kapp entered at number three and took
full advantage of the chance to extend the middle overs. A stand of 116 came
between Wolvaardt and Kapp at the second wicket.
In an innings full of cut shots, Kapp scored her fourth half-century in the
format, but Wolvaardt stole the show with 12 fours and three sixes, including a
stunning knock over extra cover. She ended with a strike rate of 161.90, which
is significantly higher than her lifetime strike rate of little over 111.18.
She achieved fifty off 39 balls and a hundred off 61.
Six costly bowlers
were deployed by Sri Lanka, with Achini Kulasuriya being the most effective.
Despite her subpar fielding performance, she was rewarded with the wickets of
Wolvaardt and Kapp during her 2 for 39. In their innings, Wolvaardt and Kapp
were both dropped—Kapp in the 20s and Wolvaardt in the 60s—and they both caused
Sri Lanka to pay a heavy price.
Sri Lanka had an enormous early setback when they started their assignment, and
they have never scored more than 182 in a Twenty20 International, let alone
chase that much. With a delivery that curved away and took the edge, Kapp had
Chamari Athapaththu caught behind on the last ball of the opening over.
Wolvaardt divided up the task between him and Kapp, who bowled just two overs
during a rain break.
After seven overs,
with their score at 48 for 2, Sri Lanka’s innings was cut short, but no overs
were lost. They required 151 runs in 13 overs when play resumed, and their only
hope came from Hasini Perera and Harshita Samarawickrama, who put up 44 runs for
the third wicket and scored 38 and 30, respectively. South Africa took the lead
in the series after bowling out Sri Lanka in just 19 overs.