ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023: Sri Lanka shock hosts South Africa in World Cup opener

An inspired bowling show from Sri Lanka produced a daze triumph implicit hosts South Africa successful the opening lucifer of the Women's T20 World Cup successful Cape Town.

Spinner Inoka Ranaweera took 3-18 arsenic a packed Newlands assemblage was silenced.

Sri Lanka's first-innings full of 129-4 was acceptable up by skipper Chamari Atapattu's 68 from 49 balls and 17-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne's supporting 35.

Sri Lanka started slowly, reaching conscionable 28 aft the powerplay aft a fearsome opening spell from quicks Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, but Atapattu and Vishmi added 86 for the 2nd wicket - Sri Lanka's highest concern for immoderate wicket successful T20s against South Africa.

It inactive seemed a below-par full but Sri Lanka, who person not played an planetary lucifer since October, utilized the conditions to their vantage with their spinners taking 7 of the 8 wickets to autumn connected a dilatory transportation with large boundaries.

The momentum shifted passim South Africa's chase, with skipper Sune Luus looking to steer her broadside to triumph earlier she was crucially stumped for 28 successful the 19th over.

But for South Africa, the interaction of the decision successful beforehand of a location assemblage was evident arsenic the last-wicket brace of Ayabonga Khaka and Nonkululeko Mlaba sunk to their knees successful dismay.

Sri Lanka volition beryllium hoping for consecutive victories erstwhile they instrumentality connected Bangladesh connected Sunday, portion South Africa volition beryllium aiming to bounce backmost successful a cardinal brushwood against New Zealand connected Monday.

Hosts disappoint aft arguable build-up

South Africa's World Cup mentation was shrouded successful contention and statement erstwhile the selectors dropped their skipper and prima all-rounder Dane van Niekerk for not gathering the modular clip for a two-kilometre run.

They would person been hopeless to soundlessness the sound with an opening win, starting the tourney with positivity and optimism, proving determination whitethorn not person been immoderate request for contention astatine all.

Instead, the statement has conscionable got louder.

But South Africa - and the remainder of the contention - volition beryllium hoping that the effect does not deter the crowd, who turned up successful their thousands and lit up Newlands with song, colour, creation and joyousness passim the full match, adjacent erstwhile it went against their team.

Ismail's archetypal shot was greeted with an exhilarating roar, the writer banks packed with schoolchildren erupted erstwhile Nadine de Klerk took the archetypal wicket and each bound successful the pursuit was cheered similar a winning moment.

There was plentifulness to beryllium optimistic astir disconnected the field, but connected it, determination is 1 statistic that galore volition not privation to read.

The astir runs scored successful South Africa successful palmy tally chases person travel from 3 batters who could person been retired there, but were not: Lizelle Lee, Dane van Niekerk and Mignon du Preez.