Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced a 16-member Sri Lanka A Women squad for the upcoming T20 series against New Zealand A Women, with the matches set to be played on May 21, 23 and 25 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
One of the main talking points from the squad announcement is that Sri Lanka A Women have kept most of the players who were part of the recent One-Day series against New Zealand A Women. This shows that the selectors want to continue backing the players who performed well during the 50-over matches.
Players like Sanjana Kavindi, Sumudu Nisansala, Dewmi Vihanga, Rashmika Sewwandi and Chamudi Praboda have all retained their places for the T20 series. At the same time, the team has also added some fresh names for the shorter format, including Vitini De Alwis, Pramudi Methsara, Sachini Nisansala, Shashini Gimhani, Aseni Thalagune, Randi Premarathne and Satheeskumar Sajinthiny.
The One Day series between the two sides was heavily affected by rain, with the first two matches ending without a result. In the opening One-Day, Sri Lanka A Women posted 217/7 before rain stopped New Zealand A Women’s chase. The second game was also washed out while New Zealand A Women were 66/4 chasing a revised target of 123 in 20 overs. The third and final game eventually decided the series, with New Zealand A Women winning by 84 runs through the DLS method to seal the three-match series 1-0.
Despite losing the series, Sri Lanka A Women still had several positives from the One Day leg. Sanjana Kavindi finished as the highest run-scorer of the series across both teams with 125 runs in three innings at an average of 41.66. Her best innings came in the final One Dayer where she scored a fighting 79 from 73 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes, while trying to keep Sri Lanka A Women in the chase. Wicketkeeper-batter Sumudu Nisansala also enjoyed a solid series, scoring 82 runs in three innings at an average of 27.33.
In bowling, Tharuka Shehani was Sri Lanka A Women’s leading wicket-taker during the One Day series with five wickets in two innings at an average of 15.00. Chamudi Praboda also impressed with disciplined bowling spells and picked up important wickets during key moments in the series.
For New Zealand A Women, Kate Anderson finished as the leading scorer for her side with 103 runs in just two innings at an impressive average of 103.00, including a match-winning 84 in the final One Dayer. Bella Armstrong had an excellent all-round series, scoring at a strike rate of 107.46 with an average of 72.00 and also taking five wickets at an average of 12.00. Marama Downes was another major performer with the ball, finishing with five wickets at an average of 9.60.
The One Day series also saw some strong numbers in other departments. Kayley Knight recorded the best batting strike rate of the series at 172.72, while New Zealand A captain Jess Watkin scored at a strike rate of 110.00 across two innings. In bowling, Hannah Rowe had the best economy rate of 4.56, followed closely by Kayley Knight with 4.69 and Fran Jonas with 5.00.
With most of the players staying in the squad and several cricketers carrying strong form into the shorter format, the upcoming T20 series is expected to be another competitive contest between the two teams in Dambulla.
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