Six and Six of the Womens’ BEST in cricket

 Sri Lanka celebrate a historic achievement, beating the defending champions England off the final ball © ICC/Solaris Images

I can’t think of a bigger upset in 40 years of Women’s World Cup cricket than Sri Lanka’s win over England. The defending champions lost to a side that had never beaten them before, and who didn’t win a single game at the last World Cup in 2009. It was a match that defied expectations and Sri Lanka have improved beyond recognition from the side I watched in both the 2005 and 2009 tournaments. There was a strength and sense of fight in this team built on a trust of their instincts and ability.

After the game, Sri Lanka players and friends lingered long on the verandah of the dressing rooms at the Cricket Club of India, while small square tables and wicker chairs began to be set out on the edge of the outfield for club members to enjoy dining in the evening sun. It was a happy melee, with team captain Shashikala Siriwardene grinning from ear to ear as she was congratulated by passers-by doing their nightly exercise on the walking track around the boundary.

A chat with team manager and selector ARM Aroos helped to shed some light on just how Sri Lanka have transformed themselves in the last couple of years. He pointed firstly to Sri Lanka Cricket contracts and match fees, which are now awarded at a rate of US$100 for an ODI and US$50 for a T20. The fees aren’t much, but the contracts provide a monthly income.

They were only introduced in 2011 and the injection of spending by SLC appears only to have started in earnest since then, even though SLC had responsibility for the women’s cricket in the country from as early as 2005, when the International Women’s Cricket Council merged with the ICC. Prior to that, women’s cricket on the island was coordinated by Gwen Herath, a tireless former president of the country’s Women’s Cricket Association. She ensured Sri Lanka became a member of the IWCC following the men’s World Cup win of 1996, and in 1997 Sri Lanka’s women played their first international matches. Victory over England is by far their biggest moment since then.

Besides the contracts, the women’s game has a strong domestic structure, based around schools and provincial tournaments. The country’s military plays a huge part in nurturing the best players, as the Sports Clubs of the Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force run teams that feature most of the players in the side that beat England. Players are contracted for up to five years at a time, not to work in the military but to play cricket, and those contracts could be worth 35,000 rupees per month (US$277 or £175). It is enough to make a difference.

As for the team’s celebrations after beating the reigning World Champions, Mr Aroos, who sees himself as something of a proud father figure to the players, declared “tonight, dinner is hosted by me!”

     ************                   **************

	England Women innings (50 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	CM Edwards*	b Kaushalya	9	15	2	0	60.00
	4.5 the ball was heading down the leg side, the ball deflects off the boots of Edwards onto the stumps. 22/1
	DN Wyatt	lbw b Seneviratna	15	18	3	0	83.33
	5.4 pitches outside the off stump and spins in to strike the pad in line and Wyatt is gone. 26/2
	A Brindle	run out (SS Weerakkody/Dolawatte)	31	64	3	0	48.43
	24.3 from Dolawatte, driven through the off side to extra cover, misfield and a chance for a run out and Brindle is out. 93/4
	LS Greenway	lbw b Seneviratna	2	7	0	0	28.57
	7.5 pitches on leg and middle and strikes the pad in line, another one bites the dust. 29/3
	HC Knight	b Dolawatte	38	62	2	0	61.29
	30.1 sweeps from outside the off stump and drags it back onto the stumps. 114/5
	JL Gunn	c †Surangika b Kaushalya	52	71	4	0	73.23
	46.6 Gunn makes room and edges to the keeper. 197/6
	A Jones†	b Siriwardene	41	49	4	0	83.67
	47.5 comes down the track and the ball goes through the gap and hits the stumps. 203/7
	KH Brunt	c Mendis b Siriwardene	12	5	1	1	240.00
	49.1 mishit in the air to mid-off. 223/8
	D Hazell	not out	19	8	3	0	237.50
	HL Colvin	not out	4	1	1	0	400.00
	Extras	(lb 3, w 12)	15
	Total	(8 wickets; 50 overs)	238	(4.76 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	LE Kaushalya	9	1	49	2	5.44	(3w)
	4.5 to Edwards, the ball was heading down the leg side, the ball deflects off the boots of Edwards onto the stumps. 22/146.6 to Gunn, Gunn makes room and edges to the keeper. 197/6
	SS Weerakkody	4	0	20	0	5.00	(2w)
	CR Seneviratna	8	0	35	2	4.37	(1w)
	5.4 to Wyatt, pitches outside the off stump and spins in to strike the pad in line and Wyatt is gone. 26/27.5 to Greenway, pitches on leg and middle and strikes the pad in line, another one bites the dust. 29/3
	S Ravikumar	9	0	35	0	3.88
	HASD Siriwardene	10	0	62	2	6.20	(2w)
	47.5 to Jones, comes down the track and the ball goes through the gap and hits the stumps. 203/749.1 to Brunt, mishit in the air to mid-off. 223/8
	SK Dolawatte	10	0	34	1	3.40
	30.1 to Knight, sweeps from outside the off stump and drags it back onto the stumps. 114/5

	Sri Lanka Women innings (target: 239 runs from 50 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	AC Jayangani	c Hazell b Brindle	62	72	7	1	86.11
	23.1 hits in the air straight to Hazell at mid-on. 103/1
	BYA Mendis	c Colvin b Brunt	46	90	6	0	51.11
	32.2 mistimes the short ball in the air and Colvin at midwicket takes the catch. 142/2
	HASD Siriwardene*	c Greenway b Elwiss	34	45	4	0	75.55
	35.5 hit in the air behind point and Greenway takes the catch. 153/4
	PM Weerakkody	b Elwiss	1	5	0	0	20.00
	33.5 plays across the line and gets bowled. 145/3
	SK Dolawatte	c Greenway b Brunt	4	10	0	0	40.00
	38.1 cut in the air straight to Greenway. 157/5
	LE Kaushalya	run out (Elwiss)	56	41	5	3	136.58
	49.4 Elwiss to Surangika, driven to mid-off, and what do we have now, a run out as Kaushalya takes off from the non-strikers end for a non-existant single. 238/9
	CR Seneviratna	b Gunn	14	23	1	0	60.86
	44.6 full and in the block-hole, Seneviratna is gone. 197/6
	SS Weerakkody	c †Jones b Brindle	0	1	0	0	0.00
	45.5 drives and finds the edge, Jones takes a good catch. 206/7
	HMD Rasangika	c Elwiss b Hazell	9	8	1	0	112.50
	48.5 hit in the air behind point and Elwiss takes the catch. 229/8
	MADD Surangika†	not out	8	5	0	1	160.00
	S Ravikumar	not out	0	0	0	0	–
	Extras	(w 10)	10
	Total	(9 wickets; 50 overs)	244	(4.88 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	KH Brunt	10	0	36	2	3.60	(5w)
	32.2 to Mendis, mistimes the short ball in the air and Colvin at midwicket takes the catch. 142/238.1 to Dolawatte, cut in the air straight to Greenway. 157/5
	GA Elwiss	7	0	39	2	5.57	(2w)
	33.5 to PM Weerakkody, plays across the line and gets bowled. 145/335.5 to Siriwardene, hit in the air behind point and Greenway takes the catch. 153/4
	D Hazell	9	0	44	1	4.88	(1w)
	48.5 to Rasangika, hit in the air behind point and Elwiss takes the catch. 229/8
	HL Colvin	8	0	47	0	5.87
	A Brindle	9	0	38	2	4.22	(1w)
	23.1 to Jayangani, hits in the air straight to Hazell at mid-on. 103/145.5 to SS Weerakkody, drives and finds the edge, Jones takes a good catch. 206/7
	JL Gunn	5	0	32	1	6.40	(1w)
	44.6 to Seneviratna, full and in the block-hole, Seneviratna is gone. 197/6
	DN Wyatt	2	0	8	0	4.00