South Africa Women registered their first win of the Tri-Nation Series with a commanding 76-run victory over Sri Lanka. Despite the defeat, Sri Lanka advanced to the final with two wins from the series, where they will face India.
Earlier in the day, South Africa were in trouble at 127 for 6, following a superb spell from Dewmi Vihanga, who claimed a five-wicket haul with a masterclass in control and variation. However, the game turned on its head thanks to a resilient 112-run partnership between Annerie Dercksen and Chloe Tryon. Their effort reignited the South African innings and brought them back into the contest.
Dercksen was the star with the bat, bringing up a swashbuckling century before being dismissed for 104, holing out to long-off. Her knock came at an impressive strike rate of 123.81 and featured five sixes and nine boundaries. Tryon provided crucial support with a brisk 74 off 51 balls, while Nadine de Klerk chipped in with a quickfire 32 from just 19 deliveries. South Africa finished strongly, posting a formidable total of 315 for 9 in their 50 overs.
Chasing such a challenging target was always going to be a tough ask. While Sri Lanka managed a few useful partnerships at the top of the order, no batter was able to make a substantial contribution aside from captain Chamari Athapaththu, who showed glimpses of her best with a composed fifty.
Tryon continued her impact with the ball, claiming a sensational hat-trick and finishing with five wickets in her spell, capping off a stellar all-round performance.
Sri Lanka were outplayed in all departments. The difference in fielding standards between the two sides was especially stark — Sri Lanka dropped six catches, while South Africa were electric in the field, taking several spectacular grabs.
With the final against India looming, Sri Lanka will look to regroup quickly. South Africa, meanwhile, will take confidence from a well-rounded team performance as they ended their league stage campaign on a high.
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