MATCH REPORT
Follow UsWith 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 One-Day International (ODI) of the three-match series. The day began with Alice Tector receiving her first cap in a moving ceremony at the pitch, with the family present.
Not long after, Prendergast had ball in hand as Ireland won the toss and elected to bowl first. It turned out to be a cunning move from stand-in skipper Gaby Lewis as Prendergast removed Sri Lanka star batter and captain, Chamari Athapaththu.
Alana Dalzell also saw the end of Harshitha Samarawickrama but thereafter found it hard in the middle overs. Ireland’s bowlers continued to chip away throughout but were able to make a final push, with Prendergast claiming a career-best 3/25. But that wouldn’t be her last trick of the day.
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Ireland made a watchful start in their pursuit of 261. However, the crucial task was keeping up with the required run rate. Re-enter Orla Prendergast. She worked hard with Amy Hunter, Rebecca Stokell and Arlene Kelly to form key partnerships and got back into the chase.
All the while, Prendergast started moving through the gears – first getting to a remarkable hundred and then eyeing up the runs still required. As she moved closer to the target she found a second wind once she could “see the finish line in sight”.
The two teams now move to the second game of the three-match ODI series on August 18 (Sunday).
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka Women 260/8 in 50 overs (Vishmi Gunaratne 101, Hasini Perera 46; Orla Prendergast 3/25) lost to Sri Lanka Women 261/7 in 49.2 overs (Orla Prendergast 122*, Amy Hunter 42; Kavisha Dilhari 4/54) by 3 wickets
Player of the Match: Orla Prendergast
(Inputs from Cricket Ireland media release)
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