Sri Lanka’s women’s cricket team made a triumphant start to their T20I series against Ireland in Dublin, securing a comfortable seven-wicket victory in the first match. The victory was largely orchestrated by the brilliance of Harshitha Samarawickrama, who smashed an unbeaten 86 off just 45 deliveries.
Ireland, after being sent in to bat, posted a competitive total of 145 for 6. Opener Gaby Lewis (39) and Oria Prendergast (29) provided a solid foundation with a 59-run partnership for the second wicket. Captain Laura Delany (25) and Rebecca Stokell (21*) also made valuable contributions.
However, Sri Lanka’s batting lineup proved too strong for Ireland’s bowlers. Samarawickrama, fresh off her top-scoring performance in the Asia Cup final, once again led the charge. She combined with Vishmi Gunaratne (30) for an 83-run opening stand, setting the platform for a successful chase.
Samarawickrama continued to dominate the innings, hitting 15 fours and a six. She received support from the rest of the top order, with Nilakshi de Silva (15) and Kavisha Dilhari (14) making useful contributions.
Ireland’s bowlers struggled to contain Samarawickrama’s onslaught. Freya Sargent, Arlene Kelly, and Delany each picked up a wicket, but they were unable to stem the flow of runs.
On the bowling front, Sri Lanka’s left-arm seam duo of Udeshika Prabhodani and Sugandika Kumari kept Ireland’s scoring in check. Offspinner Inoshi Priyadharshani was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 2 for 35.
The victory is a significant boost for Sri Lanka, who are without their star player Chamari Athapaththu. Samarawickrama’s 86 not out is the fourth-highest T20I score by a Sri Lanka batter and the highest by anyone other than Athapaththu.
