South African storm passes Sri Lanka in rain-hit clash

South Africa’s juggernaut rolled into the Women’s World Cup as they crushed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in a rain-soaked match in Colombo on Friday.

In a game reduced to 20 overs, the Proteas first bowled Sri Lanka to 105-7 and then chased down a revised target of 121 in 14.5 overs, tightening their grip on the second spot in the points table.

The win pushed South Africa to eight points, just one behind defending champions Australia, who have nine points. Four-time winners England are third with seven points, but with a game in hand against South Africa.

Colombo’s fickle weather, which has already stifled three matches, played spoilsport again. Electing to bat, Sri Lanka were 46-2 when the skies opened. Once the sky cleared, the umpires reduced the match to 20 overs per side.

“We just took it as a T20 game and didn’t want to let it go until the end,” said skipper Laura Wolvaardt. “Very difficult with all the rain delays, but in the end it worked out well for us.”

Wolvaardt led from the front with a scintillating unbeaten 60 off 47 deliveries, while left-armer Nonkululeko Mlaba’s tidy spell of 3-30 put the brakes on after the rain break.

The South African bowlers tightened the screws, conceding just 59 runs in the last eight overs while picking up five wickets.

Vishmi Gunaratne’s breezy 34 with six boundaries was the lone bright spark for Sri Lanka.

Chasing at six an over, the South African openers made an easy target, batting with the composure of a high-confidence side.

Wolvaardt’s half-century was her second of the tournament, while Tazmin Brits rediscovered her touch with an unbeaten 55 off 42 balls, with four fours and two towering sixes, the last of which over mid-wicket sealed the game in style.

The unbroken 125-run stand came in just 89 deliveries.

For a team bowled out for 69 in their opening game by England, South Africa’s recovery has been remarkable with four wins on the trot, including a hard-fought one over India.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, remain winless after five outings in a campaign plagued by rain and inconsistency.

Returning to the world stage after missing the 2022 edition, Chamari Athapaththu’s team had little luck, with two of their games being washed out.

“It was a disappointing campaign with so much rain,” lamented Athapaththu. “Our spinners struggled to catch the ball today but we have two games left and we want to finish on a high.”