In the Women's World Cup 2025, the South African women's cricket team registered a spectacular 10-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in a rain-affected match. Following this win, South Africa has climbed to second place in the points table, while Sri Lanka has yet to win a single match in the tournament.
Sports News: Aided by half-centuries from captain Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in a rain-interrupted Women's World Cup encounter. Played in Colombo, the match was halted for nearly five hours due to rain. After the rain, it was decided to reduce the match to 20 overs per side. Sri Lanka scored 105 runs for seven wickets in their 20 overs.
Under the Duckworth-Lewis rule, South Africa was given a revised target of 121 runs, which the team comfortably chased down, scoring 125 runs without losing any wickets in 14.5 overs.
Rain-Affected Match: Duckworth-Lewis Rule
The match was delayed multiple times due to rain and was eventually reduced to 20 overs per side. Batting first, Sri Lanka posted 105 runs for 7 wickets in their 20 overs. Captain Chamari Athapaththu and her team initially showed some dominance, but the South African bowlers gradually took wickets to control the opposition.
Under the Duckworth-Lewis rule, South Africa was given a revised target of 121 runs. The team achieved this by scoring 125 runs without losing any wickets in just 14.5 overs. The heroes of this victory were captain Laura Wolvaardt and Tazmin Brits, who forged an unbeaten century partnership for the first wicket, guiding the team to a comfortable win.
The Brilliance of the Century Partnership
Chasing the target, South Africa got off to an aggressive start. Laura Wolvaardt scored 60 runs off 47 balls, including 8 fours. Meanwhile, Tazmin Brits made 55 runs off 42 balls, hitting 4 fours and 2 sixes in her innings. This unbeaten century partnership steered the team to the target without any pressure.
With this brilliant performance, South Africa now has 8 points from five matches, with four wins and one loss. The team's net run rate is currently -0.440, but their position in the race for the semifinals is considered b.
Sri Lanka's Innings
Sri Lanka's innings was interrupted multiple times due to rain. Play had to be stopped in the 12th over when the team's score was 46 runs for 2 wickets. In bowling, South Africa's Masabata Klaas picked up the wickets of Hasini Perera and captain Athapaththu. After the rain, the Sri Lankan batters changed their strategy. Kavisha Dilhari hit a six on the very first ball, but the team faced challenges due to injured players. Gunaratne was carried off on a stretcher due to a knee injury, but she returned to the match to score some useful runs.
Ultimately, Sri Lanka was restricted to just 110 runs. The dampness of the ball and the field presented a challenge for the South African fielders, but the team maintained balance in both bowling and fielding.
Following this victory, the South African women's team has moved from third to second place in the points table. They have played five matches so far, winning four and losing one. With 8 points in the table, the team has become a b contender for the semifinals. Meanwhile, the path to the semifinals has become difficult for Sri Lanka. With three losses and two rain-washed matches out of five, the team has a total of 2 points and sits at seventh place in the table.
