Sri Lankan opener Vishmi Gunaratne scored her maiden One-Day International (ODI) century, making 101 against Ireland in the first ODI, becoming only the second Sri Lankan to score a century in any format.
In the first match of the three-match ODI series against Ireland, the hosts elected to field first. They got off to a dream start by dismissing Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu for a golden duck in the first over. By the eighth over, Sri Lanka was struggling at 35 for 2, having lost in-form Harshita Samarawickrama. However, Vishmi Gunaratne’s century came to the rescue for the visitors. She smashed 101 off 98 balls, marking her first-ever century for Sri Lanka.
Following her maiden ODI hundred, she became the youngest Sri Lankan batter to score a century in the ODI format, a record previously held by the current Sri Lankan skipper, Chamari Athapaththu, which also came against Ireland back in 2011.
Gunaratne took her time early in the innings, reaching her fifty off 59 balls. After reaching her half-century, she accelerated her innings, adding the next fifty runs off just 37 balls to reach her maiden ODI hundred. She was involved in a crucial 122-run stand for the third wicket with Hasini Perera. Her hundred came in style as she smashed a boundary, though her innings ended the very next ball, courtesy of Arlene Kelly’s strike with the ball. Gunaratne’s innings featured nine boundaries and three sixes, and she maintained a dominant strike rate of 103.06. Her knock was a mix of composure early in the innings and explosive acceleration.
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Gunaratne made her ODI debut on home soil against India in July 2022. In her fifth ODI, against New Zealand, Gunaratne scored her first fifty, making 50 off 74 balls and sharing a 159-run opening stand with Chamari Athapaththu, which was then Sri Lanka’s highest partnership in Women’s ODIs.
Gunaratne has been one of the most consistent batters for her side across formats. Only recently, Gunaratne was the third-highest scorer in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers 2024 with 189 runs, continuing her form in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 receiving Player of the Match award in Sri Lanka’s opening match against Bangladesh scoring an unbeaten 51.
