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Athapaththu’s 195* trumps Wolvaardt’s 184* in epic Sri Lanka chase
Sri Lanka completed the highest successful chase in women’s ODIs, against South Africa, and the only one over 300 thanks to a sensational 195* from their captain Chamari Athapaththu. She finished with her career-best ODI score and the third highest individual score by a batter in women’s ODIs to help Sri Lanka level the series 1-1.
In a battle of the captains, Athapaththu’s knock trumped Laura Wolvaardt’s 184* – the highest by a South African player and her fourth hundred since being named captain last September. She led South Africa to their fifth highest ODI score and highest against Sri Lanka but it was not enough.
Athapaththu and Nilakshika de Silva shared in a 179-run fifth-wicket partnership – the second-highest stand for the fifth-wicket or lower in the women’s game – and rescued Sri Lanka from 126 for 4 in the 21st over. Crucially, Sri Lanka gained two points on the ICC Womens Championship table, which determines qualification for the 2025 ODI World Cup. They move up to seventh spot and remain in the race for automatic entry to India next year – the top five teams along with the hosts will go through – with six matches left to play.
Sri Lanka leave South Africa after their most successful visit to these shores. Along with a squared ODI series, they won the T20I series 2-1 – their first series win over South Africa. In the immediate aftermath of that win, Athapaththu hinted international retirement but the form she displayed in the third ODI in Potchefstroom suggested she is nowhere near ready to put the bat down.
Sri Lanka had never scored 300 in an ODI before, much less chased that much but on a flat pitch with a fast outfield, Athapaththu fancied their chances. She hit the ball cleanly, was brutal straight down the ground and quick between the wickets and that was after opening the bowling and delivering a full quota of ten overs with a return of 1 for 59.
She was the senior partner in her opening stand with 18-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne and took the fight to South Africa. They put on 90 inside 16 overs before Gunaratne was given out lbw to Delmi Tucker, who was also involved in the second wicket. She took a good catch at backward point to dismiss Prasadani Weerakkody off Nadine de Klerk’s bowling and South Africa sensed an opportunity to make inroads into Sri Lanka’s middle order.
Wolvaardt brought back Ayabonga Khaka, playing in her 100th ODI, and she had immediate success. She had Hansima Karunaratne caught behind, chasing a wide one, off the first ball of her fourth over and Kavisha Dilhari caught behind down the leg side two balls later. Sinalo Jafta took both catches but the second one did her dirty as her shoulder hit the ground awkwardly and she had to leave the field. Uncapped 16-year-old Karabo Meso replaced her behind the stumps and thought she had wicket off De Silva’s first ball but umpire Jacqueline Williams was unmoved. Sri Lanka were 126 for 4 in the 21st over and Athapaththu was still there.
The Sri Lankan captain was unfazed by the mini-collapse and simply kept batting. She brought up a hundred off 78 balls in the 26th over and kept Sri Lanka on track as South Africa unraveled. Their fielding was sloppy; overthrows were offered aplenty and importantly, Athapaththu was dropped on 128 by Sune Luus at deep mid-wicket off Nonkululeko Mlaba in the 32nd over. At the time, Sri Lanka still needed 106 runs from 18.3 overs.
Athapaththu made the most of her let-off and continued to breeze her way through the chase with Silva providing strong support and South Africa losing their way. They sent down 19 wides and two no-balls in total and Sri Lanka cashed in. Athapaththu and de Silva combined boundary hitting with exceptional strike rotation and reached the target with five-and-half-overs – 33 balls – to spare to share the trophy
Earlier, South Africa would have been confident of claiming it after Wolvaardt scored her fastest – off 100 balls – and second successive hundred in the series against Sri Lanka. In the absence of Tazmin Brits – who underwent surgery on a meniscus tear in her left knee today – Wolvaardt has embraced the responsibility of both anchoring and accelerating the innings. She was the dominant partner in the opening partnership of 116 with Lara Goodall and scored 83 off 74 balls, while Goodall, playing in her 50th ODI, contributed 31 off 55.
South Africa’s innings stuttered through the middle period as the Sri Lankan spinners squeezed them. Goodall, Tucker and Luus were dismissed for eight runs in the space of 18 balls, but recovered thanks to their most reliable allrounder Marizanne Kapp. She and Wolvaardt shared a run-a-ball partnership of 63, and Kapp was at the other end when Wolvaardt reached her hundred before she was run-out at the end of the 35th over. South Africa were 187 for 4 at the time and the arrival of de Klerk brought an increased intensity.
De Klerk and Wolvaardt put on 92 in 80 balls for the sixth wicket, with de Klerk just establishing herself as a finisher, it was Wolvaardt who was aggressive in the stand. She hit her next 84 runs in 47 balls and South Africa scored 114 runs in their last 15 overs, at 7.6 runs an over, which seemed to set them up well until Athapaththu had the final say.
Scores:
Sri Lanka 305 for 4 in 44.3 overs (Vishmi gunarathne 26, Chamari Athapaththu 195*, Nilakshika de Silva 50*; Ayabonga Khaka 2-54, Nadine de Klerk 1-59, Delmi Tucker 1-42) beat South Africa 301 for 5 in 50 overs (Laura Wolvaardt 184*, Lara Goodall 31, Marizanne Kapp 36, Nadine de Klerk 35; Kavisha Dilhari 2-47, Chamari Athapaththu 1-59) by six wickets
The National New Paddy Harvesting Festival (Aluth Sahal Mangalya), a traditional annual ceremony of offering the first portion of the freshly harvested Maha season paddy to the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi, was held this morning (04) under the patronage of President Anura Kumara Disanayake at the historic Sri Maha Bodhi premises in Anuradhapura.
The ceremony was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Agrarian Services under the theme “In unison, let us cultivate the land, to build a self-sufficient nation” (අහරින් ස්වයංපෝෂිත දැයක් තනන්නට එක මිටට ගොවි බිමට), following the guidance of the Atamasthanadhipathi, the most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera.
This ritual, which dates back to the era of ancient monarchs, saw the participation of farmers from across the country. In accordance with tradition, they prayed for timely rains and fertile fields and invoked blessings for a self-sufficient and prosperous economy through agriculture.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake first paid homage and received blessings from the sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi before joining the ceremonial proceedings.
The sacred procession, which carried the newly harvested paddy from near the historic Sinha Kanuwa in Anuradhapura, arrived at the sandy courtyard (වැලි මලුව) of the Sri Maha Bodhi, marking the ceremonial commencement of the New Paddy Harvest Festival.
The Most Venerable Pallegama Hemarathana Nayaka Thera commenced the ritual by filling the golden bowl with the new paddy, after which representatives from all provinces added paddy from their respective regions, symbolically filling the golden bowl.
President Anura Kumara Disanayake also participated in this ritualistic moment, amidst the chanting of Pirith by the Maha Sangha.
A vessel of pure bee honey, traditionally offered to the Sri Maha Bodhi, was ceremonially presented to the President by Deputy Leader of the Vedda Community U.W. Bandiyala Eththo.
The vessel of ghee, brought from the historic Saman Devalaya in Sabaragamuwa, was also presented to President Anura Kumara Disanayake, to be used in the customary ghee offering at the Sri Maha Bodhi.
The President also received the commemorative plaque of the National New Paddy Harvest Festival and presented tokens of appreciation to farmer leaders who have made significant contributions to the development of the country’s agriculture sector.
As part of the initiative to secure a pest-free harvest, the President participated in the distribution of pest-resistant seed paddy to farming communities across the provinces.
Addressing the subsequent official ceremony, President Anura Kumara Disanayake stated that the current government is working to transform an economy that was in disarray. He noted that the Paddy Marketing Board is burdened with a debt of Rs. 28 billion, while harvested paddy is being left to spoil in storage.
The President emphasized that the current administration has accepted the responsibility of restoring and restructuring this disorderly system. He added that the government expects the support not only of the state machinery related to agriculture but also of all farming communities. He affirmed the intention to integrate Sri Lanka’s cultural and traditional systems to reclaim the legacy of the agricultural economy and thereby strengthen the national economy.
President Disanayake further stated that the country’s ancient kings achieved greatness through their contributions to agriculture and irrigation and that self-sufficiency in food was a critical factor in that success.
He highlighted that sustainable development has become a global discourse today and that Sri Lanka’s “Tank Cascade System” or “Vapi System,” stands as a remarkable example of sustainable development. The country’s irrigation system, which dates back nearly 2,000 years, continues to contribute to the advancement of agriculture even today.
As such, the government has allocated Rs. 2 billion in the current budget to rehabilitate the irrigation system and renovation work on the North Central Maha Ela Project has already commenced to revitalize the country’s agricultural industry. He added that the government also plans to develop seed farms to produce self-sufficient seeds, while protecting genetic ownership.
He further emphasized the need for fair prices for agricultural produce, both for farmers and consumers. Due to long-standing market distortions, the government will intervene over the next two to three harvesting seasons to ensure both parties receive fair prices.
The President also stated that the necessary provisions for such state interventions have been made in the current budget. Steps have been taken to create storage capacity to hold 300,000 metric tons of paddy, which is expected to mitigate market distortions going forward.
Among those present at the occasion were the Chief Incumbent of the Ruwanweliseya and Chancellor of the Rajarata University, Most Venerable Ithalawetunuwewe Gnanatillake Thera, the Chief Incumbent of the Lankaramaya, Most Venerable Ralapanawa Dhammajothi Thera and members of the clergy; Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, Lands and Irrigation K.D. Lalkantha; Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe; Governor of the North Central Province Wasantha Kumara Wimalasiri; and Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne, along with a large number of farmer leaders and other dignitaries.
- (PMD)
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi arrived in the island a short while ago on a three-day state visit.
The Indian Prime Minister was received at the Katunayake International Airport by Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vijitha Herath.
PM Modi is accompanied by Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar, Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Indian Foreign Secretary and several senior officials of the Government of India.
The General Manager of Railways has announced that the following special train services will operate during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year period.
1. From Colombo Fort to Badulla – departing Colombo Fort at 1930 hrs on 11th, 12th, 19th and 20th April
2. From Badulla to Colombo Fort – departing Badulla at 1750 hrs on 11th, 12th, 19th and 20th April
3. From Galle to Anuradhapura – departing Galle at 0400 hrs on 12th and 13th April
4. From Anuradhapura to Galle – departing Anuradhapura at 1500 hrs on 12th and 13th April
5. From Colombo Fort to Galle – departing Colombo Fort at 120 hrs on 10th, 11th, 15th and 20th April
6. From Galle to Colombo Fort – departing Galle at 0610 hrs on 11th, 12th, 16th and 21st April
7. From Colombo Fort to Galle – departing Colombo Fort at 1330 hrs on 12th and 13th April
8. From Colombo Fort to Kankasanthurai [Intercity Express] – departing Colombo Fort at 0530 hrs on 11th and 18th April
9. From Kankasanthurai to Colombo Fort [Intercity Express] – departing Kankasanthurai at 1350 hrs on 11th and 18th April
10. From Beliatta to Colombo Fort – departing Beliatta at 0825 hrs on 12th, 13th, 18th, 19th and 20th April
We are working to stabilize and restructure an economy that was in disarray -President
Indian PM Modi arrives in Sri Lanka on a three day state visit
Special Train Services during Sinhala and Tamil New Year
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