South Africa Crush Sri Lanka by 10 Wickets in Rain-Shortened Thriller
Under brooding skies at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, South Africa Women delivered a clinical demolition of Sri Lanka Women in Match 17 of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 on October 17, romping home by 10 wickets via the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. What began as a routine chase morphed into a rain-interrupted masterclass, with Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits dismantling Sri Lanka’s modest 105 for 7 in just 14.5 overs to reach the adjusted target of 121. The victory propelled South Africa to the top of the points table with three wins from three, their net run rate ballooning to +1.456, while Sri Lanka slumped to their second defeat, teetering at the bottom with a nightmarish -2.134 NRR after conceding the lowest total of the tournament so far.
The match, delayed by an hour due to drizzle, encapsulated the unpredictability of Sri Lankan conditions—lush outfield, seaming pitch under clouds, and a forecast promising more interruptions. Over 12,000 fans braved the humidity, their yellow flags waving in hope for a home upset, but South Africa’s seamers, led by the evergreen Marizanne Kapp, turned the game into a procession. For Sri Lanka, captain Chamari Athapaththu’s valiant 42 was a lone bright spot in a batting implosion that exposed their fragility against moving ball cricket. As the Proteas celebrated under clearing skies, whispers of semi-final favoritism grew louder, while Sri Lanka’s campaign hung by a thread ahead of their clash with Pakistan.
The toss, won by South Africa skipper Sune Luus, set the tone. Opting to field first—a no-brainer given the overheads and green tinge—Luus’s call allowed her bowlers to exploit the conditions ruthlessly. South Africa’s XI was a blend of experience and youth: Wolvaardt, Tazmin Brits, Anneke Bosch, Luus (c), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, and Masabata Klaas. The recall of Mlaba over the injured Tumi Sekhukhune added spin variety, while Kapp’s all-round prowess was the X-factor.
Sri Lanka, desperate for momentum after their opening loss to New Zealand, fielded: Vishmi Gunaratne, Hasini Perera, Athapaththu (c), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Inoka Ranaweera (wk), Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Kawya Kavindi, and Achini Kulasuriya. The inclusion of debutant Kavindi, a lanky pacer, aimed to match South Africa’s seam fire, but the batting lineup’s inexperience showed early. The pitch, freshly rolled, offered seam movement and bounce, with umpires Sathya Ravindra and Jacqueline Williams vigilant under the DLS calculator.
Sri Lanka’s innings unraveled almost from the outset, their top order succumbing to the moving ball like dominoes. Ayabonga Khaka, with her whippy action, struck twice in the powerplay: first, trapping opener Vishmi Gunaratne lbw with an inswinger that nipped back to hit middle-and-leg in the fourth over—Gunaratne’s 2 off 8 a forgettable start. Hasini Perera followed in the sixth, edging a full delivery from Kapp to Jafta behind the stumps for 5, her tentative prod outside off a classic case of overthinking the swing. At 14 for 2 after seven overs, Sri Lanka were in tatters, the required rate irrelevant in a survival mode.
Chamari Athapaththu, the talismanic all-rounder and Sri Lanka’s highest run-scorer in ODIs, walked in to a smattering of applause. Her arrival injected urgency; she flicked Khaka off her pads for four and drove Kapp through the covers with that trademark bottom-hand flourish. Partnering Harshitha Samarawickrama, Athapaththu rebuilt cautiously, rotating strike amid dots. Samarawickrama, playing her 50th ODI, looked compact, nurgling singles and whipping de Klerk for a boundary. The duo added 28 in eight overs, pushing to 42 for 2 at the drinks break, but the clouds loomed larger.
Post-drinks, the resistance cracked. Masabata Klaas, replacing the resting Tumi, induced Samarawickrama’s edge with a wide tempter—snapped up by Wolvaardt at first slip for 14 off 25. Nilakshi de Silva, promoted to steady the ship, survived a testing spell from Mlaba’s left-arm darts but fell to a Kapp yorker at 68 for 4 in the 18th over, the ball reversing to castle middle stump. Oshadi Ranasinghe joined Athapaththu, and for a fleeting moment, hope flickered: Athapaththu lofted Klaas over mid-on for six, her 42nd ODI fifty looming at 35 off 40.
But South Africa’s bowlers, sensing blood, tightened the noose. Nonkululeko Mlaba, the young off-spinner, deceived Ranasinghe with a doosra that turned square, stumped by Jafta for 8 off 18—Sri Lanka’s fifth in the 23rd over. Inoka Ranaweera, the keeper-batter, scratched around for 6 before holing out to long-on off Tryon’s medium-pacers, her lofted drive a misjudged heave at 88 for 6 in the 28th. Athapaththu’s vigil ended abruptly in the 30th, bowled by a Kapp cutter that gripped and seamed away—42 off 52, including five fours and a six, her dismissal triggering a slide.
The lower order folded meekly. Sugandika Kumari skied Khaka to mid-off for 4, Udeshika Prabodhani dragged Mlaba onto her stumps for 3, and Achini Kulasuriya blocked out the final over unbeaten on 2. Sri Lanka limped to 105 for 7 in 20 overs when rain forced an early tea—Kapp’s 3 for 18 the standout, her figures including the vital Athapaththu scalp. Khaka (2-22) and Mlaba (2-15) supported brilliantly, while the seam quartet conceded just 1.75 runs per over. Sri Lanka’s total, the lowest in the tournament, evoked memories of their 1997 World Cup capitulation, with Athapaththu later admitting, “We panicked early; the ball moved more than expected.”
South Africa’s chase, adjusted to 121 off 20 overs under DLS after a two-hour delay, was a stroll in the park. Openers Wolvaardt and Brits, with 1,200 combined ODI runs this year, feasted on a weary attack. Wolvaardt, the elegant right-hander, eased into rhythm, clipping Prabodhani for four through square leg in the first over. Brits, aggressive from ball one, pulled Kavindi for six over deep square—her pull shot a thing of beauty. The powerplay yielded 48 for no loss, the required rate dipping below six.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers, led by Athapaththu’s part-time spin, tried variations, but the Proteas’ footwork neutralized them. Wolvaardt drove Kumari inside-out for four, her fifty arriving off 32 balls—her third of the tournament—with a flicked boundary off Ranasinghe. Brits complemented with power: a slog-swept six off Athapaththu cleared the ropes, and a lofted cover drive off Prabodhani raced away. Their 102-run opening stand off 85 balls was poetry, Brits reaching 50 off 38 with a dabbed four past short third man.
Rain threatened again, but the umpires pressed on. At 110 for 0 after 14 overs, needing 11 more, Wolvaardt (56*) and Brits (63*) toyed with the field. The winning runs came via a Brits single off Kumari in the 14.5th over—South Africa home with 31 balls to spare. Wolvaardt’s unbeaten knock featured seven fours, her poise under lights a captain’s innings in waiting. Brits’ explosive 63 included five fours and three sixes, her strike rate of 165.79 dismantling Sri Lanka’s morale.
South Africa’s bowlers dominated proceedings, their economy of 5.25 a tournament low for the first innings. Kapp, named Player of the Match, reflected post-game: “The conditions suited us; we backed our seamers and executed.” Luus added, “A complete performance—batting depth wasn’t tested, but that’s the beauty.” For Sri Lanka, Athapaththu’s all-round efforts—42 and 0-25—were scant consolation. Perera, with 0-12 tidy overs, showed promise, but the batting frailty was glaring. Chamari sighed, “We need to adapt faster to swing; this loss stings, but Pakistan next is redemption.”
The implications rippled through the tournament standings. South Africa’s perfect record positions them as semi-final locks, their chase efficiency underscoring depth beyond the top order. Wolvaardt’s form—averaging 78—draws comparisons to Mithali Raj’s 2005 vintage, while Kapp’s 12 wickets at 8.50 apiece make her the leading destroyer. England and Australia lurk, but the Proteas’ NRR edge is a psychological boon.
Sri Lanka, conversely, face an uphill battle. Two losses from two leave them rooted to the foot, with net run rate in freefall. Their bowlers, leaking 6.05 per over, must regroup against Pakistan’s aggressive top order. Athapaththu’s leadership, under scrutiny after a lean T20 phase, hinges on a Kandy revival—home advantage their only ally. As the World Cup meanders into its middle phase, this mismatch highlighted the chasm: South Africa’s professionalism versus Sri Lanka’s raw potential.
Rain or shine, women’s cricket thrives on such contrasts. South Africa’s statement win wasn’t just about runs; it was a blueprint for dominance in wet conditions, a lesson Sri Lanka absorbed the hard way. With Bangladesh and New Zealand eyeing upsets, the race tightens, but for now, the Proteas purr like a well-oiled machine, their semi-final berth all but sealed.
