Sri Lanka Announces Squad for South Africa White-Ball Tour

Chamari Athapaththu, the ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year, will captain the squad. The series will commence with the T20I leg on 27 March in Benoni.

The teams will first compete in a three-match T20I series, followed by an equal number of ODIs. These matches will contribute to the ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 cycle. South Africa currently holds the No.2 spot on IWC Standings with 20 points from 15 games, trailing behind Australia. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is at No.8 with 11 points from 15 games.

ICC Women’s Championship 2022-25 Standings

This tour marks the first time since 2019 that Sri Lanka’s women are visiting South Africa for a bilateral series. It is also the first bilateral exchange between the two sides since 2019.

During Sri Lanka’s last tour to South Africa, they played an equal number of T20Is and ODIs, both of which the hosts won with a clean sweep.

Sri Lanka secured a dramatic three-run victory over South Africa in the Women’s T20WC opener.

With the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Bangladesh on the horizon, this white-ball clash will be a crucial part of both teams’ preparations.

The last white-ball clash between the two sides was at last year’s T20 World Cup in Cape Town, where Sri Lanka emerged victorious in a nail-biting match by three runs.

Athapaththu delivered a stellar performance with a 50-ball 68, earning the Player of the Match award. Inoka Ranaweera also shone with the ball, taking 3/18.

Sri Lanka Squad for the South Africa White-Ball Tour

Chamari Athapaththu (c), Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshi de Silva, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Hasini Perera, Anushka Sanjeewani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera, Achini Kulasuriya, Hansima Karunaratne, Imesha Dulani, Kawya Kavindi, Inoshi Fernando, Sugandika Kumari, Prasadini Weerakkody

Fixtures:

27 March: 1st T20I, Willowmoore Park, Benoni
30 March: 2nd T20I, Senwes Park, Potchefstroom
3 April: 3rd T20I, Buffalo Park, East London
9 April: 1st ODI, Buffalo Park, East London
13 April: 2nd ODI, Diamond Oval, Kimberley
17 April: 3rd ODI, Senwes Park, Potchefstroom