Sugandika Kumari, Kavisha Dilhari shine as Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 6-wicket in 1st ODI

Sugandika Kumari and Kavisha Dilhari’s three-wicket hauls and Harshitha Samarawickrama’s unbeaten 44 runs helped Sri Lanka win their first women’s ODI against the West Indies since 2015, with the hosts leading the three-match series 1-0 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota on Saturday.
Sri Lanka has lost their previous six one-day internationals against the West Indies since their last victory in 2015. In the first ODI of a three-match series, Sri Lanka on the back of the all-round performance registered a 6-wicket victory over West Indies.
West Indies made a great start, reaching 75 for 1, thanks to a 68-run second-wicket stand between Hayley Matthews and Shemaine Campbelle. They lost steam after Kumari, a left-arm spinner, broke the partnership in the 19th over, resulting in the loss of eight wickets for 120 runs.
Aside from Matthews (38), only Stafanie Taylor (33) made it over 30, as the spinners, led by Kumari and Dilhari, chipped away.
In the run chase of 196, Sri Lanka’s top five executed the pursuit flawlessly, with four of them surpassing 35. Captain Chamari Athapaththu (38) and Vishmi Gunaratne (40) got them off to a good start, putting on 88 in 13.2 overs, but Sri Lanka stuttered temporarily, losing three wickets for 13 runs, two of which fell to Aaliyah Alleyne’s medium pace.
Harshitha Samarawickrama (44*) and Hasini Perera (43) assured there would be no more significant setbacks, putting on 63 for the fourth wicket to all but cement victory, before Afy Fletcher picked up a consolation wicket late in the game.
Brief score: West Indies 195 (Hayley Matthews 38, Stafanie Taylor 33; Sugandika Kumari 3-30) vs Sri Lanka 198/4 (Harshitha Samarawickrama 44*, Hasini Perera 43, Aaliyah Alleyne 2-22). (ANI)