Hayley Matthews stars as West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 5 wickets to continue winning run in Women's T20 World Cup

Bristol [UK], June 21 (ANI): West Indies continued their strong run in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup with a hard-fought five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a low-scoring contest in Bristol on Sunday.

Hayley Matthews starred with the ball once again, claiming her second successive three-wicket haul to help restrict Sri Lanka to just 99. In reply, the West Indies batting unit struggled for fluency but managed to chase down the target, finishing on 99 for 5 in 16.1 overs.

With this being their third consecutive victory of the tournament, West Indies have strengthened their push for a semi-final spot. They currently sit second in Group B, level on points with England but behind on net run rate.

Electing to field first, Matthews spearheaded her team’s challenge as she bagged three wickets in her first two overs, as per the ICC website.

After dismissing Vishmi Gunarathne in the first over of the innings, she dealt big blows in the next as she snapped Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama. With Chinelle Henry chipping in with the wicket of Imesha Dulani, Sri Lanka were reeling at 23/4 at the end of powerplay.

Nilakshika Silva, who had guided Sri Lanka to victory against defending champions New Zealand on Tuesday, once again tried to shore up the innings. She stitched a 34-run stand with Kavisha Dilhari to stem the slide and went on to top score with 30 off 26 balls.

Towards the end, Kawya Kavindi (17) was the only Lankan batter to provide some resistance as the innings fell apart around her.

A disciplined bowling performance from West Indies had made sure that Sri Lanka never got their teeth into contest. Matthews finished with 3/15 in her four overs, while Karishma Ramharack mopped the tail-end (2/15) on a day where all West Indian bowlers were amongst wickets.

Chasing a modest total, the Caribbean side made heavy weather for it.

After a 28-run opening stand, West Indies handed Sri Lanka the breakthrough as Matthews was run out while attempting a cheeky single. Silva charged in from mid on and nailed the direct hit at the non-striker’s end to pack off the West Indian captain.

With Deandra Dottin falling to a Nimasha Meepage on the final ball of powerplay, West Indies were pushed back to 36/2.

The Sri Lankan bowlers kept coming at West Indies, striking at regular intervals. Kavisha Dilhari was especially difficult to get past and she finished with 2/22 to give Sri Lanka a fighting chance.

However, Stafanie Taylor kept the pressure at bay with steady unbeaten 27. Her 29-run partnership with Jannillea Glasgow saw West Indies knock off the requisite runs with almost four overs to spare. (ANI)

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