South Africa Women 235/9 (Annerie Dercksen 61*; Malki Madara 4/50)
Sri Lanka Women 237/5 (Harshitha Samarawickrama 77; Nonkululeko Mlaba 2/44)
Sri Lanka Women made light work of the Proteas Women in the third match of the Tri-Series at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.
The hosts chased a 236-run target set by South Africa inside 47 overs, beating the visitors by five wickets to send them on a two-game losing streak, having been beaten by India earlier in the week.
Despite having started well with the ball with the wicket of Sri Lanka women’s captain Chamira Athapaththu (6) in the third over, the home side batters were just too good in their conditions.
Batters Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari were particularly destructive, smashing the Proteas bowling attack to all parts of the ground.
The pair combined for a 128-run stand for the fourth wicket, with Dilhari (61, 6×4, 1×6) losing her wicket to the in-form Proteas spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba (2/44).
Samarawickrama (77, 8×4) was the next batter out as she was dismissed by Nadine de Klerk in the 47th over with the hosts four runs away from victory.
A massive moment for Nadine de Klerk as she claims her 50th career ODI wicket! 🔥💪
An incredible achievement for one of our standout performers! 🏏 #AlwaysRising #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/RpE3Z8fIJ9
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) May 2, 2025
However, the damaged was done, and there was no denying Sri Lanka from the victory as Nilakshika Silva (11*) and Anushka Sanjeewani (1*) guided the hosts to victory.
Earlier, Annerie Dercksen continued to impress on the international stage as she showed determination, rescuing South Africa from a spot of bother and guiding the side to a decent total.
Having walked in with the score on 120/5 in the 29th over, Dercksen did a commendable job with the bat, taking her time to see off the Sri Lanka spinners early on in her innings.
When the 24-year-old felt comfortable at the crease, she took the attack to the home team’s spinners. With sheer power, the right-hander hit three fours and the only six in the South African innings.
Dercksen reached her maiden half-century mark in international cricket as she continued to prove her ability as a genuine all-rounder in the side.
An innings of incredible class, impetus, and resilience from Annerie Dercksen 🔥.
A maiden ODI half century — and what a moment to deliver it 🇿🇦🏏. #AlwaysRising #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/bsZPxvR4Te
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) May 2, 2025
A massive moment for Nadine de Klerk as she claims her 50th career ODI wicket! 🔥💪
An incredible achievement for one of our standout performers! 🏏 #AlwaysRising #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/RpE3Z8fIJ9
— Proteas Women (@ProteasWomenCSA) May 2, 2025
The experienced Chloe Tryon (35) provided good support to Dercksen as they combined for 62 runs for the sixth wicket.
De Klerk (17) also provided a decent 32-run stand alongside the in-form Dercksen as South Africa posted 235/9.
Sri Lanka spinners Dewmi Vihanga (3/41), Inoka Ranaweera (1/31) and Sugandika Kumari (1/49) were exceptional with the ball on a spin-friendly wicket.
Seamer Malki Madara (4/50) mixed things up and helped the hosts restrict South Africa to a chaseable total.
Proteas batters Lara Goodall (46) and Sune Luus (31) also made valuable contributions to help the visiting side reach a decent total.
