Sri Lanka 117 for 3 (Athapaththu 44) beat England 116 (Boucher 23, Athapaththu 3-21, Dilhari 2-16, Prabhodhani 2-16) by seven wickets
Then Athapaththu produced a signature show of power-hitting to interrupt the again of the run chase. Regardless of falling simply shy of her second successive half-century, she did sufficient to steer her aspect to victory by seven wickets with 18 balls to spare and ship England’s first bilateral T20I collection defeat to a aspect apart from Australia since 2010. The outcome can even give her aspect a major confidence increase forward of the three-match ODI collection between these sides beginning in Durham on Saturday.
Calamitous begin for England
The hosts have been off to a shocker when Danni Wyatt spooned the primary ball of the match, from Inoshi Priyadharshani straight Hasini Perera at cowl. Their woes deepened when fellow opener Maia Bouchier flicked Prabodhani to sq. leg and turned for a second run, altering her thoughts a couple of quarter of the way in which again down the pitch and turning spherical together with her again to Alice Capsey.
Again-to-back fours from Bouchier off Athapaththu within the subsequent over, advancing to drive huge of mid-off and swinging away by way of sq. leg, helped England recuperate to 41 for two however no sooner had she lower Prabodhani by way of backward level for her fourth boundary, Bouchier picked out Dilhari simply contained in the rope at long-on to make it 41 for 3 on the finish of the Powerplay.
Because it turned out, Bouchier’s 23 off 18 balls remained England’s highest particular person rating. By the point Dilhari nailed Heather Knight on the pad as she tried to reverse-sweep an offbreak which stored low, the house aspect have been 70 for 4 on the midway level of their innings and confronted an enormous job to offer their bowlers one thing to defend.
A yorker from Udeshika Prabodhani knocked over Danielle Gibson•Getty Pictures
Athapaththu at it once more
Athapaththu, the star of Sri Lanka’s maiden T20I victory over England within the second match together with her 55 off 31 and 1 for 11, tempted Amy Jones right into a drive however deceived her within the air for Sanjeewani to drag off the stumping. That left two comparatively inexperienced batters within the center in Freya Kemp and Dani Gibson with simply 72 runs on the board and 5 wickets down.
That grew to become six when Kemp skied Dilhari straight down the bottom and into the fingers of Nilakshi de Silva, operating spherical from long-on, Dilhari having set her up properly with a run of three dot balls.
When Charlie Dean had her stumps rearranged by Inoka Ranaweera, Sarah Glenn strode out to hearty applause from her hometown crowd. She supplied Ranaweera an opportunity at an especially robust return catch that flew by way of the bowler’s fingers three balls later. Gibson did all she might with some highly effective hitting and wonderful placement to achieve 21 off 15 till she edged a gem of a yorker from Prabodhani onto her stumps.
Glenn managed to overturn her lbw dismissal off Athapaththu when she was struck on the pad whereas sweeping, replays exhibiting the ball was taking place the leg sided. However Athapaththu had the final phrase with two wickets in as many balls, Kate Cross stumped and Mahika Gaur pinned in keeping with center stump.
Harshitha Samarawickrama wheels previous a cautious Kate Cross in celebration•Getty Pictures
Faint hopes dashed
That was, after all, simply the beginning for Athapaththu, who then commanded Sri Lanka’s pursuit with authority and aptitude. She powered Cross’s second ball – the eighth of the innings – over backward sq. leg for six and despatched Gaur to the identical area for an additional most within the subsequent over to sign her intent. Two off-side fours in three balls off Dean took her aspect to the tip of the Powerplay on 58 with out loss.
It was Dean who took the catch operating spherical to her proper from deep midwicket off Capsey to take away the specter of Athapaththu, who had reached 44 off 28, and that gave England a carry. Sanjeewani had been the proper assist act for Athapaththu throughout their opening stand of 65 however then Glenn drew her in with a flighted supply outdoors off stump and Capsey swallowed the catch at mid-off.
England’s faint hopes took successful when Cross had her lbw dismissal of Vishmi Gunaratne overturned when ball-tracking projected it was taking place the leg aspect and although Glenn eliminated Gunaratne lbw a short while later, the vacationers have been too far gone in direction of a landmark win.
Valkerie Baynes is a common editor, girls’s cricket, at ESPNcricinfo
