Sri Lanka book spot in Australia's group for WT20 WC
Thunder’s Chamari Athapaththu will lead Sri Lanka’s hopes against Australia at the T20 World Cup.
Australia will play Sri Lanka at this year’s Women’s T20 World Cup after the island nation beat Scotland in the final of the ICC qualifier in Abu Dhabi.
New Zealand, India and Pakistan will make up the quintet in Group A in the event, to be held in Bangladesh in October.
Sri Lanka beat Scotland by 68 runs on Tuesday, to book the berth in Group A.
Scotland, who will be making their debut, go into Group B alongside England, Bangladesh, South Africa and West Indies.
Australia beat Sri Lanka by ten wickets on their way to winning last year’s T20 World Cup in South Africa. Australia also beat Sri Lanka in the 2016 and 2020 competitions.
Their star player is allrounder Chamari Athapaththu who played for Sydney Thunder in this summer’s WBBL winning four player of the match awards and scoring 552 runs, a total only exceeded, by five runs, by Beth Mooney.
In the qualifier final Scotland were without their captain and star player Kathryn Bryce, ruled out through injury, and could not compete with Athapaththu.
She smashed 102 from just 63 balls, with four sixes and 13 fours as the innings finished on 5-169.
Without Bryce to lead the chase the reply never got close, subsiding on 7-101 with a top score of 30 from Priyanaz Chatterji.
with PA