Sri Lanka Women vs Australia Women, 5th Match, ICC Womens World Cup 2025 - CommentarySLW vs AUSW, 5th Match, ICC Womens World Cup 2025 - Commentary
Match abandoned due to rain (No toss)
Rain has had the final say here in Colombo. Hopefully that'll not be the case tomorrow when India take on Pakistan at the same venue. Until then, it's goodbye!
17:34 Local Time, 12:04 GMT, 17:34 IST: It's official, the match has been called off. Points will be shared between both teams. Cut-off time was at 8.08pm but given how grim the weather looks, the umpires have pulled the plug.
17:00 Local Time, 11:30 GMT, 17:00 IST: Nothing has changed at the Premadasa. If anything, it's raining even harder. Alyssa Healy is sitting in the dugout, wrapped up in a blanket.
16:26 Local Time, 10:56 GMT, 16:26 IST: "Rain is getting heavier again," informs Purnima.
"It's only gotten darker in every direction as far as the eye can see. Brace for a long wait." - Purnima from Colombo.
16:02 Local Time, 10:32 GMT, 16:02 IST: The rain has really picked up in Colombo, coming down hard and steady. Overs are already being shaved off, and with the cut-off time fixed at 20:08 local, the clock is ticking. Hopefully, the skies clear in time to squeeze in some play.
15:55 Local Time, 10:25 GMT, 15:55 IST: Still raining in Colombo and the covers are firmly in place. Not the update we were hoping for - it seems play is still some way off, and we might be in for a long wait before we hear anything positive. Stay with us as we track every development.
"Persistent rain here. Not a soul on the field," - Purnima.
"Full ground being covered again here at RPS. More rain on the cards, and dark clouds hovering," informs Purnima Malhotra. "Now lights coming on. There's thunder and lightening not too far from the stadium," she further adds.
Pitch and conditions: Here in Colombo, it’s a bit muggy. Grey skies overhead, a bit of drizzle earlier, and you might spot a few umbrellas around. The forecast suggests slightly lower temperatures today, but maybe the odd shower later on. This looks like an absolute beauty of a batting wicket. The first thing I notice is that lovely straw-coloured grass. There’s not a lot of live grass on it, but just enough to keep a bit of pace in the surface. That tells me it’s good for batting. We’ve seen right through this tournament that you’ve got to be prepared to pitch it up, a touch fuller. You want to challenge the stumps, target the top of off, and attack that knee roll. If you drag it back even slightly, you’ll be punished. You look at the dismissals we’ve seen on similar surfaces. They all come when the bowlers are forcing the batters onto the front foot. So I think both pace attacks will be looking to bowl that fraction fuller today. Length will be absolutely critical on this surface. - (Alan Wilkins and Aaron Finch)
14:40 Local Time, 09:10 GMT, 14:40 IST: Good news from Colombo, the drizzle has eased and the covers are being taken off. The umpires are out in the middle for an inspection, and we could be edging closer to some play. The umpire is in discussion with the groundstaff at the moment, assessing the conditions. We should have more clarity about the start time soon..
Annabel Sutherland: We’re excited to be here and ready for today. We feel like we’ve had a really good lead-in. Obviously, that challenging series against India taught us a lot, and we’ve taken plenty from it. We’re really excited for what’s ahead. I think in 50-over cricket, having that big partnership through the middle is really key. That’s something we’ll be looking to do today. The top order is pretty hungry for runs, so hopefully we can convert those starts. We bat really deep, and that definitely frees up the top order. It’s one of our big strengths. That said, it’d be nice to see the top order do the bulk of the work today. Probably a bit of chat up in the rooms, keeping things pretty relaxed. Hopefully we get going soon. Athapaththu is a key player for them at the top, and they’ve got some real quality spin options through the middle overs, so we’re expecting a good contest there.
14:20 Local Time, 08:50 GMT, 14:20 IST: It’s drizzling in Colombo and the entire field has been covered up. That means a delayed start to proceedings. Let’s hope the rain eases off quickly so we can get the action rolling. Stick with us for the latest updates..
After beginning their campaigns in Indian conditions, both teams now head to a different venue. A venue that Sri Lanka know pretty well. It’s time for the two sides to go head-to-head in Colombo. Australia Women have lifted the Women’s ODI World Cup 7 times, while Sri Lanka are yet to claim the title. Although today’s conditions could play into Sri Lanka’s hands, Australia’s track record in Women’s World Cup cricket is in a league of its own. No matter how well you play, taking down this Australian team will be a monumental task. Stick around for the toss and team announcements.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu delivered a solid innings against India, with a few useful knocks from other batters, but the team’s batting lineup couldn’t really fire together. In contrast, the Australian batters clicked seamlessly against New Zealand. Opener Phoebe Litchfield set the pace with a brisk start, and Ashleigh Gardner stole the spotlight with a brilliant 115-run knock to dominate the game.
14:00 Local Time, 08:30 GMT, 14:00 IST: India Women handed Sri Lanka Women a defeat in the tournament opener, while Australia Women cruised past New Zealand with a dominant win in the next match. Now, with both teams carrying very different starts to their campaign, they lock horns in today’s World Cup encounter. A warm welcome to all of you!
Preview
Sri Lanka and Australia have faced each other 11 times in Women's ODIs and 8 more times in the T20 format. On every single occasion, Australia have triumphed. The last time they met in ODIs was six years ago when Sri Lanka got absolutely thrashed in an away series in Brisbane. History is clearly against them! In an ideal world, Sri Lanka would have preferred a different opponent for their first ever World Cup match at home but the schedule hasn't been kind for them in this tournament with the two favourites India and Australia facing them right at the start.
These two teams have arrived in Colombo having made contrasting starts in the campaign. Sri Lanka put themselves in a very good position initially against India in the tournament opener before losing their way and eventually succumbing quite comfortably. Australia on the other hand, were rescued big time by Ashleigh Gardner in their first game against New Zealand and the defending champions eventually redeemed themselves from a precarious position to pick up a massive win.
Any chance Sri Lanka might have at stretching Australia will depend on how spin friendly the surface is. If the track is indeed slow, Sri Lanka's spinners will fancy their chances at keeping Australia to a par score but the defending champions have quality spinners in their ranks as well.
If the home side manages to give a good account of themselves irrespective of the result, it will keep them in good stead with four more matches remaining at the same venue for the women in blue. For Australia, it will all be about continuing their dominance and leaving Colombo with four points given they will also be facing a rattled Pakistan outfit at the same venue after a three-day break.
When: Sri Lanka vs Australia, October 4, 3:00 PM local time (IST)
Where: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
What to expect: Going by the scores witnessed in the recent games, scoring runs will not be straightforward. Spinners won the player of the match award the last time the Bangladesh Men's outfit faced their Sri Lankan counterparts in an ODI and a T20I recently. And the Bangladesh Women's side bowled Pakistan out for just 129 yesterday.
Team News
Sri Lanka
Despite the loss to India, Sri Lanka will likely stick with the same combination.
Probable XI: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera
Australia
If the surface is on the drier side, it will be interesting to see if Australia contemplate including Georgia Wareham.
Probable XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Alana King, Kim Garth, Darcie Brown/Georgia Wareham
What they said:
Venue is really good for us because we are playing in our home soil. So we know this condition better than everyone. And last few months, we're training here and we know the conditions. But the thing is, the most important thing, we have to execute our right plan, right time. - Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka captain
I think their opening bowlers pose a threat, but I think their spin attack is where their work gets done. They've got four spinners that are completely different to each other. And I think coming out here and seeing how it spins, that'll probably be the biggest threat to us. - Phoebe Litchfield, Australia opener
Sri Lanka and Australia have faced each other 11 times in Women's ODIs and 8 more times in the T20 format. On every single occasion, Australia have triumphed. The last time they met in ODIs was six years ago when Sri Lanka got absolutely thrashed in an away series in Brisbane. History is clearly against them! In an ideal world, Sri Lanka would have preferred a different opponent for their first ever World Cup match at home but the schedule hasn't been kind for them in this tournament with the two favourites India and Australia facing them right at the start.
These two teams have arrived in Colombo having made contrasting starts in the campaign. Sri Lanka put themselves in a very good position initially against India in the tournament opener before losing their way and eventually succumbing quite comfortably. Australia on the other hand, were rescued big time by Ashleigh Gardner in their first game against New Zealand and the defending champions eventually redeemed themselves from a precarious position to pick up a massive win.
Any chance Sri Lanka might have at stretching Australia will depend on how spin friendly the surface is. If the track is indeed slow, Sri Lanka's spinners will fancy their chances at keeping Australia to a par score but the defending champions have quality spinners in their ranks as well.
If the home side manages to give a good account of themselves irrespective of the result, it will keep them in good stead with four more matches remaining at the same venue for the women in blue. For Australia, it will all be about continuing their dominance and leaving Colombo with four points given they will also be facing a rattled Pakistan outfit at the same venue after a three-day break.
When: Sri Lanka vs Australia, October 4, 3:00 PM local time (IST)
Where: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
What to expect: Going by the scores witnessed in the recent games, scoring runs will not be straightforward. Spinners won the player of the match award the last time the Bangladesh Men's outfit faced their Sri Lankan counterparts in an ODI and a T20I recently. And the Bangladesh Women's side bowled Pakistan out for just 129 yesterday.
Team News
Sri Lanka
Despite the loss to India, Sri Lanka will likely stick with the same combination.
Probable XI: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera
Australia
If the surface is on the drier side, it will be interesting to see if Australia contemplate including Georgia Wareham.
Probable XI: Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Alana King, Kim Garth, Darcie Brown/Georgia Wareham
What they said:
Venue is really good for us because we are playing in our home soil. So we know this condition better than everyone. And last few months, we're training here and we know the conditions. But the thing is, the most important thing, we have to execute our right plan, right time. - Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka captain
I think their opening bowlers pose a threat, but I think their spin attack is where their work gets done. They've got four spinners that are completely different to each other. And I think coming out here and seeing how it spins, that'll probably be the biggest threat to us. - Phoebe Litchfield, Australia opener
Squads:
Sri Lanka Women Squad: Chamari Athapaththu(c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani(w), Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera, Imesha Dulani, Dewmi Vihanga, Piumi Wathsala Badalge, Malki Madara
Australia Women Squad: Alyssa Healy(w/c), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Alana King, Kim Garth, Darcie Brown, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham, Heather Graham, Megan Schutt
