South Africa Women ended their campaign on a high in the Sri Lanka Women’s ODI Tri-Nation Series 2025, defeating hosts Sri Lanka Women by 76 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Despite the victory, the Proteas were already out of contention for the final, which will now see India and Sri Lanka lock horns on May 11.
Annerie Dercksen’s blistering century sets the tone
After being sent in to bat by Sri Lanka, South Africa stumbled early, losing key wickets inside the first 20 overs. But it was Annerie Dercksen who turned the tide with a scintillating 104 off 84 deliveries, laced with 9 fours and 5 sixes. She found a perfect partner in Chloe Tryon, who hammered 74 off just 51 balls, adding momentum to the innings with 4 boundaries and 5 maximums.
The duo stitched a crucial middle-order stand, helping South Africa post a daunting 315/9 in 50 overs. Nadine de Klerk added quickfire runs down the order with a breezy 32 off 19, giving the innings a late flourish.
For the Lankans, Dewmi Vihanga was the standout bowler, grabbing 5 wickets for 43 runs in her 9 overs—her best performance of the series. Chamari Athapaththu chipped in with 2 wickets, but the rest of the bowling unit failed to make breakthroughs during the critical middle overs.
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Chloe Tryon’s hat-trick destroys Sri Lankan batting unit
Chasing a steep target of 316, Sri Lanka got off to decent starts through Hasini Perera (30) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33). Skipper Athapaththu anchored the innings with a fighting 52 off 57, striking 3 sixes and 3 fours. Anushka Sanjeewani also looked fluent with a 32-ball 43, but the middle and lower order failed to build on the platform.
The turning point came when Tryon wrecked the Sri Lankan batting line-up with a brilliant spell, claiming a five-wicket haul that included a hat-trick. Her final figures of 5 for 34 in 8 overs dismantled Sri Lanka’s chase, bowling them out for 239 in 42.5 overs.
Although this was South Africa’s first win of the tri-series, it came too late to alter the standings. With two earlier losses, they were already eliminated from the race to the final. For Sri Lanka, this loss will act as a timely reminder ahead of their clash against India Women in the summit clash.
Outstanding bowling performance from South Africa 👊🏏#women #cricket #SAvsSL #southafricacricket #TriNationSeries pic.twitter.com/7uCdr4ooWy
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) May 9, 2025
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
