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The T20 leg of the Women’s U19 Tri-series 2024 culminated after the match-up between England and Sri Lanka on Wednesday (April 3) at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota.
The England team emerged as table-toppers after securing a six-wicket victory over the Sri Lankan team. They secured three victories in four games.
On the other hand, the hosts finished second with two wins in four appearances, while Australia were the wooden spooners with only a solitary win in four games.
All-round effort helps England finish at top
Batting first, Sri Lanka had a good start to their innings, with Sanjana Kavindi and Ashani Kaushalya finding consistent boundaries. When it looked like the home team were cruising, Charlotte Lambert dismissed Kavindi (20) and broke the 50-run stand.
A couple of overs later, Lambert found Kaushalya plumb LBW, which resulted in the downfall of the Sri Lankan team. They were bundled out for a meager total of 126 in their stipulated 20 overs.
All the bowlers took one wicket each for England, with Ava Lee taking two wickets and giving away only 19 runs in three overs.
In reply, Davina Perrin continued her sensational form to steer the England team at an expensive rate, yet again. Her partner, Erin Thomas was sensible enough to play as an anchor, while Perrin displayed her ball-striking abilities.
The pair accumulated 84 runs in less than nine overs, as Perrin (54 off 34) was dismissed by Hiruni Hansika. Her innings included six fours and three sixes. Shashini Gimhani and Hansika gave a minor scare to England by breaching the defenses of Thomas (27) and Abi Norgrove (2).
Nevertheless, Charis Pavely (24*) was impressive to guide England home in 14.3 overs, with six wickets to spare.
With this win, England were the table-toppers after the end of the T20 series. Certainly, these performances will boost their confidence ahead of the 2025 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in Malaysia and Thailand.
The three teams will now play 50-over matches against each other.
