Sri Lanka Women secured a 10-wicket victory over Thailand Women in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024, advancing to the semi-finals with a dominant performance led by Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne.
Introduction:
Sri Lanka Women outsmarted Thailand Women in the do-or-die match, comprehensively winning the contest by ten wickets with 51 balls remaining, to storm into the semi-finals of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024. The chase was well and truly guided-to-target by the knowledge of Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne.
Thailand (W) Batswomen Surrender to the Bowlers:
The Thailand(W) team, having won the toss and opting to bat first, never found it easy right from the start and never got their innings going at the desired momentum. A disciplined and neat plan of bowling followed by the Sri Lankan(W) bowlers meant that finally, Thailand(W) was restricted to just 93 for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs. Lack of substantial partnerships and the fall of wickets at regular intervals pegged back Thailand(W).
The one bright spot in that aspect for Thailand(W) was Nannapat Koncharoenkai, who batted a fighting and laudable innings. She stayed unbeaten with 47 runs off 53 balls, proving to the home crowd that she can anchor the innings despite mounting pressure. Her efforts could not be good enough to steer Thailand(W) into a strong competitive total for that matter, as the team was still remaining in a precarious position.
See also: Bangladesh’s Impressive Victory Over Malaysia: WAC 2024
The five wickets taken by the Sri Lankan women indicated it was an all-round and collective bowling effort because five of them picked up at least one wicket each. Achini Kulasuriya set the tone just right by nailing the perfect yorker that dismissed Nattaya Boochatham off the very first ball of the match.
Kavisha Dilhari and Inoshi Priyadharshani also chipped in with the ball and in the field to contribute vastly. The one by Dilhari was also a top catch, being a full-length dive, to complete the dismissal, a catch that showed the team’s fabulous fielding effort. It was this collective effort of bowlers and fielders that helped restrict Thailand(W) to a low total, thus creating the platform for a comprehensive win.
Athapaththu and Gunaratne’s Unbeaten Partnership:
Sri Lanka Women’s run-chase was smooth and easy, courtesy the unbeaten partnership between Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne. The two openers showed great skill and composure to make light work of the modest target set by Thailand Women. Athapaththu had a fine time, playing an aggressive innings of 49 not out, but in the process, she also became the highest run-scorer in the current edition of the Women Asia Cup.
Gunaratne was the one playing a good second fiddle, staying not out on 39, holding one end up. Their partnership and good shot selections got the target without the loss of any wickets, and this was quite decisive to emphasize their win and show their strength in the depth of batting and acumen of strategy.
Strategic Insights:
The strategy of Sri Lankan women was very lucid from the disciplined bowling to the cautious yet aggressive approach to batting. Their move to re-induct veteran players like Hasini Perera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, and Achini Kulasuriya worked wonders. The fall of Thailand Women’s opener early set a tone for the game—one which distinctly put Thailand immediately on the back foot.
No Thai batswomen was allowed to hold a single substantial partnership throughout the innings by the constant pressure that was created by the Sri Lankan bowlers. This strategic implementation of disciplined bowling, together with the tactical integration of experienced players, ensured that Sri Lanka never lost control of the game. Having a rather methodical and calculated approach, they had been able to reap numerous benefits in the form of a dominant performance, which simply showed their better preparations and execution.
Conclusion: Sri Lankan women’s glorious show
Class and strategic acumen were epitomized in this victory of Sri Lanka-W over Thailand-W. This victory has taken them to the top of Group B and has created an important precedent for the semis against Pakistan-W. A blend of seasoned players with disciplined performance has placed Sri Lanka-W in the fray as a strong contender for the Women’s Asia Cup 2024.