Kulasuriya and Athapaththu guide Sri Lanka to victory in tour-ending ODI

Sri Lanka defeated Ireland by eight wickets, with Samarawickrama top-scoring with an unbeaten 48, supported by Athapaththu who also scored 48. Ireland was bowled out for 122, with Athapaththu and Kulasuriya taking three wickets each, and Nisansala taking two. Kelly top-scored for Ireland with 35 runs.

Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama made it a canter for Sri Lanka in the tour-ending third and final ODI against Ireland in Belfast, but their job was made simple by a strong bowling performance led by Achini Kulasuriya. Kulasuriya took three as Ireland, who had already taken the series 2-0, collapsed to 10 for 3 inside five overs. That became 28 for 5 not long after, but they recovered somewhat to post 122. But it was never going to be enough, not with Athapaththu shooting off the blocks.

Athapaththu won the toss on this occasion and opted to bowl, but Sri Lanka wouldn't have expected the rewards they got early on. Indeed, when Sri Lanka had opted to field in the last game, Ireland rode on half-centuries from Amy Hunter (66), Leah Paul (81) and Rebecca Stokell (53*) to put up 255 for 5, enough for a 15-run win. This time, though, quick bowler Kulasuriya struck off the first two balls of the innings, sending back Sarah Forbes and Hunter for ducks. Orla Prendergast, the captain, fell next, also to Kulasuriya, for 3. Inoshi Priyadharshani and Amy Kanchana chipped in with a wicket apiece, and it was 28 for 5 in the 15th over.

The fightback came courtesy Paul and Arlene Kelly. It was slow going, painfully so at times, but they added 36 runs between them in just under 15 overs. Kelly was starting to pick up speed, but Paul fell to Sachini Nisansala for 19 (in 53 balls), and then there was a rush of wickets again. Canning became Athapaththu's first wicket, Kelly the second, and between them Athapaththu and Nisansala finished the innings off.

[File photo] Achini Kulasuriya picked up three wickets inside the first five overs

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Asian Cricket Council

Priyadharshini returned remarkable figures of 10-5-7-1 with an economy rate of 0.70, second on the list of most miserly ODI spells by a Sri Lanka woman cricketer, behind Rose Dovey's 1 for 5 (with eight maidens) against Pakistan back in 2002.

It had been a quiet ODI series for Athapaththu, as she recorded scores of 0 and 22 in the first two games. Her opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne and No. 3 Samarawickrama took charge in Athapaththu's place in those two games, scoring centuries, but Ireland were the superior side on both occasions.

This time, Athapaththu dominated the opening stand of 32 with Gunaratne, and then put on a 62-run stand for the second wicket with Samarawickrama in 11-and-a-half overs, taking Sri Lanka to 94 with 32 overs left in which to score 29 runs. Athapaththu's 48 came off 49 balls and included ten fours.

The win was just around the corner, and Samarawickrama took Sri Lanka there with an unbeaten 48 in 56 balls, hitting seven fours of her own, with Kavisha Dilhari on 10 off 15 balls with her at the end, which came in 23.1 overs.

Ireland won the ODI series 2-1, after the two-match T20I series had ended 1-1.