Gaby Lewis’ 119 Powers Ireland to Victory Over Sri Lanka, Leveling Series 1-1
Ireland’s Gaby Lewis put on an incredible display, leading her country to a victory over Sri Lanka by a just seven runs on 75 balls in the second women’s T20I in Dublin.
Ireland was able to tie the two-match series 1-1 with this victory. Samarawickrama and Dilhari both scored fifty, but they were unable to surpass Ireland’s 173 for 3 and lose by seven wickets.
Key Performances and Match Results
Sri Lanka 166 for 7 (Samarawickrama 65, Dilhari 51*, Prendergast 2-28, Sargent 2-36) lost to Ireland 173 for 3 (Lewis 119, Prendergast 38) by seven runs.
Ireland defeated Sri Lanka by a narrow seven-run margin in the second Twenty20 International to level the two-match series at 1-1. Gaby Lewis’ spectacular second T20I century was supported by Orla Prendergast’s outstanding all-around performance.
Ireland lost Amy Hunter during the powerplay when batting first in Dublin, but Lewis managed to hold the hosts together. Prendergast proved to be an ally, as the two combined to score 119 runs off of 80 balls for the second wicket. Lewis scored 78 off 49 balls, most of the partnership’s total, while Prendergast struck 38 off 31.
After the midway point, both batters picked up the tempo, and Lewis reached her fifty off forty balls. In the twelfth over, Prendergast hit Achini Kulasuriya for two consecutive fours, and Lewis followed suit in the next over, hitting Shashini Gimhani for two more fours. Lewis made sure to keep the scoreboard running even though Prendergast wasn’t always successful in finding the limits.
In the 19th over, Lewis blasted Kanchana for a six and four on her way to her second T20I century, reaching the mark in 68 balls. Lewis, overcome with emotion, gave her partner a hug, took off her helmet, and raised her bat in front of her teammates and the spectators. Ireland raced to 173 for 3, their sixth-highest total in Twenty20 Internationals, after she hit three fours off Kulasuriya in the penultimate over. She was then run out off the final ball for 119 off 75 balls. In her inning, Lewis hit two sixes and seventeen fours.
Although Sri Lanka lost Vishmi Gunaratne early in the chase, Harshitha Samarawickrama made a strong attempt to replicate her incredible performance in the first T20I. Before hitting Jane Maguire for six, she opened the first over against Freya Sargent with two fours.
Kavisha Dilhari, batting at number four, provided Samarawickrama with strong support as they added 72 runs off of 49 balls for the fourth wicket. When it appeared like Sri Lanka would win, Jane Maguire delivered a devastating blow by dismissing Samarawickrama for a just 44 balls.
On the other hand, Dilhari continued to hit the boundary at regular intervals despite Sri Lanka losing wickets at the other end. With two overs remaining, the visitors needed to score 22 and six off of six. After hitting a six in the last over to get to fifty, Dilhari was unable to make a clean connection and the hosts were able to tie the series.
