Ireland defeated Sri Lanka by a narrow seven-run margin in the second Twenty20 International to level the two-match series at one wicket. Gaby Lewis’ spectacular second T20I century was supported by Orla Prendergast’s outstanding all-around performance.Ireland lost Amy Hunter during the powerplay while batting first in Dublin, but Lewis managed to hold the hosts together. Prendergast proved to be an ally, as the two combined to score 119 runs off of 80 balls for the second wicket. Lewis scored 78 off 49 balls, most of the partnership’s total, while Prendergast scored 38 off 31.
“Ireland defeats Sri Lanka with a 75-ball century from Gaby Lewis to tie the series 1-1.”
After the halfway point, both batters picked up the pace, and Lewis reached her fifty off forty balls. In the twelfth over, Prendergast hit Achini Kulasuriya for two consecutive fours, and Lewis followed suit in the next over, hitting Shashini Gimhani for two more fours. Lewis made sure to keep the scoreboard running even though Prendergast wasn’t always successful in finding the boundaries.In the 19th over, Lewis blasted Kanchana for a six and four on her way to her second T20I century, reaching the mark in 68 balls. Lewis, overcome with emotion, gave her partner a hug, took off her helmet, and raised her bat in front of her teammates and the crowd. Ireland raced to 173 for 3, their sixth-highest total in Twenty20 Internationals, after she hit three fours off Kulasuriya in the final over. She was then run out off the final ball for 119 off 75 balls. In her inning, Lewis hit two sixes and seventeen fours.
Although Sri Lanka lost Vishmi Gunaratne early in the chase, Harshitha Samarawickrama made a strong attempt to replicate her incredible performance in the first T20I. Before hitting Jane Maguire for six, she opened the first over against Freya Sargent with two fours.Kavisha Dilhari, batting at number four, provided Samarawickrama with strong support as they added 72 runs off of 49 balls for the fourth wicket. When it appeared that Sri Lanka would win, Jane Maguire delivered a devastating blow by dismissing Samarawickrama for a mere 44 balls.
On the other hand, Dilhari continued to hit the boundary at regular intervals despite Sri Lanka losing wickets at the other end. With two overs remaining, the visitors needed to score 22 and six off of six. After hitting a six in the last over to get to fifty, Dilhari was unable to make a clean connection and the hosts were able to tie the series.
Brief scores: Ireland Women defeated Sri Lanka Women 166 for 7 in 20 overs (Harshitha Samarawickrama 65, Kavisha Dilhari 51*; Orla Prendergast 2-28, Freya Sargent 2-36, Jane Maguire 1-26, Ava Canning 1-10) by seven runs. Ireland Women scored 173 for 3 in 20 overs (Gaby Lewis 119, Orla Prendergast 38; Achini Kulasuriya 1-36, Shashini Gimhani 1-24).
[Cricinfo]
