Sri Lanka won’t be mere pushovers, especially after their victory against India in this year’s Asia Cup final, said opener Shafali Verma who believes the Islanders are no longer solely dependent on their skipper Chamari Athapaththu.
India will meet Sri Lanka in their must-win penultimate group league game of the Women’s T20 World Cup on Wednesday.
The Indian team not only needs to win but record a victory big enough to boost its net run-rate (NRR) before the do-or-die league game against defending champions Australia on October 13.
“There was a time when Chamari was the one scoring most of the runs and taking wickets for Sri Lanka. But in the Asia Cup, the entire team performed well. They’ve improved a lot, which is why they won the tournament,” Shafali told Star Sports. “Chamari carries the pressure of being a key player, and it’s inspiring to see how she handles it.”
For India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, the game against Australia is crucial and there will be little or no margin of error. “All games are important and when you come to the World Cup, you have to give 100 per cent in each game. Sri Lanka are a good team with their captain leading from the front. But with Australia, you can’t make errors and then look to minimise them,” Mandhana said.
England prevail
In Sharjah on Monday, England beat South Africa by seven wickets to register their second straight win in this Women’s T20 World Cup.
Batting first, South Africa were restricted to 124/6 with England bowlers, led by Sophie Ecclestone (2/15), giving hardly anything away.
In reply, Nat Sciver-Brunt hit an unbeaten 48 off 36 balls and also stitched a 64-run third-wicket partnership with opener Danny Wyatt-Hodge (43 off 43 balls) as England reached home with four balls to spare.
Brief scores: South Africa Women 124/6 in 20 ovs (Laura Wolvaardt 42; Sophie Ecclestone 2/15). England Women 125/3 in 19.2 ovs (N. Sciver-Brunt 48 n.o.). England Women won by 7 wickets.
