AUS W VS SL W MATCH 5

The rain gods have won! It is official! The match has been CALLED OFF. Well, the rain was persistent and even if it stopped, it would have taken a couple of hours to make it game-ready. The points will be shared. That is all from this game. It's time for the clash of the tournament to unfold. It's India Women taking on Pakistan Women here at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. Let's hope we get clear skies for the big event. Join us on the 5th of October at 9.30 am GMT. Do join us earlier for the build up. Till then, cheers!

UPDATE - 11.30 am GMT - The live visual shows the spectators patiently waiting for the rain to ease up but the ground has already taken some beating and will take a while to clear things up but for that, the rain needs to stop first and that looks far from our wishes. Stay tuned.

UPDATE - 11.05 am GMT - It's absolutely pouring right now in Colombo and things are looking very gloomy. Not a single soul on the ground and as bad as it sounds, even the forecast isn't good but let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. 

UPDATE - 10.25 am GMT - Gloomy skies and constant drizzle in Colombo have led to covers being put in place at the cricket ground firmly, making play uncertain. If it continues like this, we could be losing overs and potentially in for an even shorter game. Fingers crossed the weather improves soon.

The Australian women's team's camp would be a happy one with the news coming in from New Zealand that the Australian men's team has defeated the Kiwis in the third and final T20I, securing a 2-0 series win over New Zealand, with the second match washed out. Captain Mitchell Marsh scored a crucial century (103) in a low-scoring chase of 157, while the rest of the batting lineup struggled. Sean Abbott's 13 was the second-highest score, with Marsh's knock being the standout performance.

News coming in is that Shubman Gill has been appointed as India's new ODI captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, who stepped down after four years at the helm. Gill will lead the team in the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, starting October 19. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who had retired from T20Is and Tests, will return to the ODI squad. Shreyas Iyer has been named vice-captain of the ODI team. The decision to appoint Gill was made collectively by the selection committee, headed by Ajit Agarkar, in coordination with head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, to prepare Gill for the 2027 ODI World Cup. The upcoming series will also feature five T20Is starting from October 29, with Suryakumar Yadav continuing as captain for the T20I series.

UPDATE - 9.32 am GMT - We should be starting by now, but due to extremely gloomy conditions, the ground staff are waiting for it to clear up. Well, things have turned upside down as the rain has returned and the covers have been brought on. The entire ground is covered again. Stay tuned.

PITCH REPORT - Alan Wilkins and Aaron Finch are pitchside and they reckon that the pitch at R. Premadasa Stadium looks favorable for batting, with a dry, straw-colored surface that could offer some pace. Alan Wilkins and Aaron Finch expect a good contest, with bowlers needing to pitch the ball up and target the stumps to trouble the batsmen. Length will be crucial for bowlers to succeed on this pitch.

Vishmi Gunarathne is up for a quick chat now. She said Sri Lanka Women are confident and ready to face Australia, despite their previous loss. She's excited to play her first ODI against Australia in front of a huge home crowd. While acknowledging Australia's strength, Gunarathne emphasized that one loss won't define their tournament, and they're looking forward to a great contest.

Annabel Sutherland is up for a quick chat. She expressed that Australia Women are excited and ready for the match after a good lead-in, particularly benefiting from the challenging series against India. She highlighted the importance of building significant partnerships during the middle overs in the 50-over format and noted that the top order is eager to contribute runs and set up a strong foundation for the team today.

UPDATE - 9 am GMT - Not the start we were hoping for in this Super Saturday clash, as it is raining in Colombo and the entire field has been covered up. The TOSS HAS BEEN DELAYED due to rain. Let's hope it eases away quickly. The live visual shows that the rain has stopped and the ground staff have started their work. The Aussies are doing their warm-up drills near the ropes as well. Stay tuned.

This match promises to be an exciting encounter between two teams with different strengths and weaknesses. While Sri Lanka will be looking to make history, Australia will be determined to continue its dominance. The home crowd will undoubtedly play a significant role in motivating Sri Lanka, but will it be enough to overcome Australia's experience and skill? One thing is certain, this match is going to be a thrilling contest. Stay tuned for toss and team updates. 

Australia Women, on the other hand, are looking to continue their dominance in the tournament. After a shaky start against New Zealand, they bounced back with a comfortable win, thanks to Ashleigh Gardner's century and a stellar bowling performance. Gardner's composed hundred helped Australia post a total of over 320, and the bowlers did the rest, restricting New Zealand to 277. Sophie Molineux, Alana King, and Annabel Sutherland were instrumental in Australia's win. Will Australia's star-studded lineup be too much for Sri Lanka to handle?

Sri Lanka Women are looking to make history against the Aussies, having never registered a win in 11 previous encounters. However, with the home crowd behind them, Chamari Athapaththu and her team will be eager to script something special. Lankan Women showed promise in their opening game against India, restricting them to 269/8 before falling short in the chase. Inoka Ranaweera was the standout bowler, finishing with figures of 4/46. If it hadn't been for a partnership between Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur, the hosts for this game might have caused an upset in the curtain raiser. Can Sri Lanka build on that performance and cause an upset against the defending champions?

The ICC Women's World Cup is heating up, and fans are in for a treat! Australia Women, the defending champions, are back in action against Sri Lanka Women at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Both teams have had varying degrees of success in the tournament so far. Sri Lanka Women had a tough opener against India Women, while Australia Women bounced back from a shaky start against New Zealand.

... MATCHDAY ...

‘Hope is a waking dream,’ Aristotle once said. And isn’t that the perfect line for a World Cup? Because every team, every fan, and every player walks into this tournament with hope - the hope of lifting that shiny trophy. The ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 is underway, and already the drama, the thrills, and the heartbreaks have started. So where are we now? All eight teams have dipped their toes into the battle with one game each. Some teams walked out smiling, some walked out shattered, but all walked out knowing - every single point matters. And now it’s time for Match 5 at the R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, where Australia Women face Sri Lanka Women. History says one thing - Australia have never lost to Sri Lanka in ODIs. But hey, World Cups are where history sometimes gets rewritten. Could this match be that? It can be. Let’s know a bit about Sri Lanka! They ran into India in their opener and… ouch. A 59-run defeat on DLS. But wait, it wasn’t all doom and gloom! Captain Chamari Athapaththu tried to anchor the chase with 43 under pressure, while Nilakshika Silva’s counterattack gave hope. Yet, the collapse in the middle order hurt badly. Question is - can the Lankans stitch partnerships when it matters most? Answer - they’ll have to, because against Australia, loose wickets equal curtains. Who really needs to step up for Sri Lanka? Their experienced heads, like Hasini Perera and Anushka Sanjeewani, must support Chamari. Inoka Ranaweera bowled her heart out for 4 wickets against India, but she can’t do it all alone. Their bowlers kept India in check for large phases, but conceding a late flurry cost them big. If Sri Lanka dream of pulling off an upset, they need discipline with the ball and bravery with the bat. Is it possible? Of course! But is it easy? Absolutely not!!! Now switch focus to the giants - Australia Women. Oh boy, did they announce themselves in style against New Zealand or what? Ashleigh Gardner smashed 115 from 83 balls - pure carnage! Phoebe Litchfield was electric at the top, and the middle order chipped in too. A total of 326 runs screamed loud and clear that the Aussies aren’t here to participate, as they’re here to dominate. Question - is their batting the scariest lineup in the tournament? Answer - a big, fat YES! And what about their bowlers? Annabel Sutherland bagged 3 wickets, Sophie Molineux was miserly and lethal, and Alana King spun webs. Sure, Darcie Brown leaked a few, but when you have depth like Australia’s, there’s always someone to cover up. If there was one slight hiccup, it was Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney not kicking on with the bat, but honestly, when Gardner is in beast mode, who cares? The Premadasa pitch has its own quirks. Batting second hasn’t been too kind, as chasing gets tough with the ball gripping and spinners coming into play. A good score here? Around 260-270 could be good. So what does that mean? Toss is gold dust. Win it, bat first, and boss the game. But hey, cricket loves twists - what if rain barges in? What if Chamari goes berserk? Oof, goosebumps already! Key battles? Spicy! Chamari Athapaththu vs Megan Schutt - can the Lankan skipper muscle through the new ball? Gardner vs Ranaweera - one destroys, the other deceives, who wins the duel? Litchfield vs Prabodhani - fire meets swing! And don’t forget Perry vs Samarawickrama - experience clashing head-to-head. These aren’t just battles, where they’re mini-stories inside the big story. So, who holds the upper hand? On paper, Australia by miles! Their head-to-head record is 11-0 against Sri Lanka in ODIs. Their batting is deeper, their bowling sharper, their fielding cleaner. But cricket isn’t played on paper, is it? It’s played on grass, sweat, and nerves. Sri Lanka will play with passion, the crowd will roar for them, and just maybe… just maybe… David can trouble Goliath. Either way, expect fireworks, expect drama, expect magic, because that’s what a World Cup is all about!