Orla Prendergast pulled off a stunning heist, picking up 3 for 25 and following it up with an unbeaten 122 off 107 balls as Ireland beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the first ODI in Dublin. Sent in, Sri Lanka rode on Vishmi Gunaratne’s maiden ODI century to rack up 260 for 8. In reply, Orla Prendergast scored a maiden ODI century of her own to help Ireland record their first successful chase of over 200 in ODIs. This was also Ireland’s first ODI win over Sri Lanka in five attempts.
The hosts have opted to bowl first after winning the toss. Chamari Athapaththu-led Sri Lanka rode on Vishmi Gunaratne’s century to take her team to 260/8 in 50 overs. Orla Prendergast took three wickets for Ireland. Orla Prendergast then came back to score an unbeaten 122 to take Ireland over the line in the final over. Ireland thus secured an unlikely victory by three wickets.
Pitch and Toss
The surface at the Civil Service Cricket Club in Belfast is quite balanced. Both the batters and the bowlers will hope to get the most out of the surface, and opting to bowl first after winning the toss and chasing the target could be a wise decision.
Ireland Women skipper Gaby Lewis won the toss and chose to bowl.
Orla Prendergast 3-wicket haul restricts Sri Lanka to 260 despite Vishmi Gunaratne’s century.
Sent in to bat , Sri Lanka rode on Vishmi Gunaratne’s maiden ODI century to rack up 260 for 8. Earlier, Gunaratne became just the second Sri Lanka batter after Chamari Athapaththu to score an ODI century. Athapaththu return – having missed the T20I series – lasted just one ball as she was caught behind off Prendergast. Harshita Samarawickrama took 11 balls to get off the mark but struck four fours in her 19 before being cleaned up by Alana Dalzell in the eighth over. Gunaratne and Hasini Perera then joined forces to take the innings forward.
Gunaratne got going with a six off Dalzell and then struck debutant Alice Tector for two fours in the ninth over. After reaching her fifty, off 58 balls, she upped the scoring rate further. Gunaratne made sure that Ireland bowlers don’t stop the flow of runs and boundaries.
In the 30th over, she hit Jane Maguire for a six to move to 96 and brought up her hundred, off 97 balls, with a four off Arlene Kelly in the next over. She was dismissed on the next ball but not before adding 122 with Perera for the third wicket. Sri Lanka lost Dilhari and Perera in quick time, but useful contributions from the lower middle order saw them score 62 in the last ten overs, and 36 in the last five. That took them to a competitive total but it was not sufficient.
Orla Prendergast helps Ireland notch up their highest ODI chase of 261 runs
Orla Prendergast pulled off a stunning heist, picking up 3 for 25 and following it up with an unbeaten 122 off 107 balls as Ireland beat Sri Lanka by three wickets in the first ODI in Dublin. In reply, Orla Prendergast scored a maiden ODI century of her own to help Ireland record their first successful chase of over 200 in ODIs. This was also Ireland’s first ODI win over Sri Lanka in five attempts.
Chasing 261, Ireland lost Gaby Lewis for 9 off 24 balls. Sarah Forbes got a few boundaries away, adding 49 for the second wicket with Amy Hunter before being trapped lbw by Sachini Nisansala. Hunter started briskly, scoring 42 off 45 balls, which included four fours in a 47-run third-wicket stand with Prendergast. When Leah Paul also fell soon after, Prendergast took it upon herself to take the chase forward.
Orla Prendergast reached her fifty with a four off Kavisha Dilhari off 57 balls. Even as Ireland lost wickets at regular intervals from the other end, Orla Prendergast kept the scoreboard ticking. In the last three overs, Ireland needed 30 runs with just three wickets in hand. The 48th over, though, turned the match in their favour as Prendergast hit Dilhari for two fours and a six. The first of those fours also brought her a century, off 97 balls. That 18-run over reduced the equation to 12 required from two overs.
It was fitting that Orla Prendergast hit the winning single, off the second ball of the final over. Her unbeaten 122 was the second-highest score while batting at a No. 4 or lower in a women’s ODI chase. Orla Prendergast was awarded the Woman of the Match award for her all round innings.
With a slight autumnal chill at the finish, Orla Prendergast masterminded an epic run chase to beat Sri Lanka Women by three wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series. The two teams move now to the second game of the three-match ODI series on Sunday.