Women’s T20 World Cup: Australia beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in low-scoring game

Australia kicked off their Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on a positive note by defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in a Group A match in Sharjah on Saturday. In a low-scoring affair, Australia successfully chased down the 94-run target in just 14.2 overs, after restricting Sri Lanka to a total of 93/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Sri Lanka struggled with the bat, with only Harshitha Madavi and Nilakshi de Silva managing to make significant contributions with scores of 23 and an unbeaten 29, respectively. The opening pair of Vishmi Gunaratne and Chamari Athapaththu failed to make an impact, both departing without making substantial runs.

Defending champions Australia begin their Women's #T20WorldCup 2024 campaign with a win #WhateverItTakes | #AUSvSL: https://t.co/mYILOBPwaC pic.twitter.com/qtUVN7blBO

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 5, 2024

Gunaratne was dismissed for a golden duck, while Athapaththu could only muster 3 runs off 12 deliveries, a disappointing performance from a player of her caliber. Wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani added 16 runs towards the end of the innings. Megan Schutt and Molineux shone with the ball for Australia, taking 3 and 2 wickets, respectively.

In response, Beth Mooney played a crucial unbeaten innings of 43 runs to guide Australia to victory. Despite Sri Lanka managing to dismiss Alyssa Healy, Georgia Wareham, Ellyse Perry, and Ashleigh Gardner in the second innings, their total was not enough to challenge Australia. This defeat marked Sri Lanka's second loss in the Group stage, following their earlier defeat to Pakistan. As a result, Sri Lanka's chances of advancing to the knockout stage have become increasingly slim.

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