Inter-Provincial Women’s T20 Cricket :

CP ready for final battle with WP

S M Jiffrey Abdeen, Kandy Sports Correspondent

Central Province ladies cricket team captained by Sripali Weerakkody will go with their morals high when they take on Western Province in the finals of Women’s Inter-Provincial Twenty20 Cricket Championship organized by Sri Lanka Cricket which will be played today, Thursday (May 2) at the NCC grounds, Colombo with play commencing at 1.30 pm.

Sripali Weerakkody speaking to this correspondent said with confidence that they will bring the championship cup to Kandy. They have already registered a victory over their opponents Western Province defeating them by six wickets in a league stage match.

She said at the start we found it difficult and lost a couple of matches. When we played together in the later matches our potential surfaced and were identified. We won our last match in the league stage against Combined Provincial team and the bonus points collected helped us to book a berth in the semi-finals in which we crushed Southern Province by five wickets.

It was left arm spinner Suganthika Kumari who turned the match in our favour. The Southern Province team was cruising on well and Lasanthi Madhushani put the brakes and our opponents crumbled.

The Central Province coach Sunil Fernando said that entering the finals by the Central Province ladies is noteworthy and creditable. There is very little school cricket in the Central Province. Most of the girls took to cricket on their own and most of them after leaving school.

They played for teams like Kandy Ladies. They were spread out in various places with some of them employed outside the province. Being members of the fairer it was difficult to get down some of them to attend regular practices.

But they were a determined lot under the leadership of all-rounder Sripali Weerakkody who got the best out of the players.

He said that the District Coaches Suresh Peiris and Amila Pinnaduwa played a major role in moulding girls into a fighting outfit.

He said that the Central Province team has three national cricketers namely Sripali Weerakkody, Dilani Manodari and Shalika Niluksha. Three others, Chamari Polgampola, Naleeshika Mettananda and Dharshani Dharmasiri are now in the Sri Lanka national pool. These six cricketers will be the nucleus of the side.

The Central Province Ladies team batting will hinge on skipper Sripali Weerakkody, Inoshi Fernando, Dilani Manodari, Chamari Polgampola, Kanchana Weerakkody, Shalika Niluksha, Lasanthi Madhusha.

The bowling attack will be spearheaded by Dharshani Dharmasiri and skipper Sripali Weerakkody followed by medium pacers Naleeshika Mettananda and Ganesha Thabrew.

Much will depend on spinners like Suganthika Kumari (left arm spin), Chamari Polgampola (slow medium/off cutters), Shalika Nilukshika (off spinners), Ayesha Sandamali (off spin), Kaushalya Lakshika (off spin).

Experienced Dilani Manodari will be the stumper of the side.

Central Province women’s team: Sripali Weerakkody (captain), Dilani Manodari (vice captain), Chamari Polgampola, Kanchana Weerakkody, Shalika Nilukshi, Naleeshika Mettananda, Dharshani Dharmasiri, Ayesha Sandamali, Lasanthi Madhushani, Suganthika Kumari, Kaushalya Lakshika, Iroshi Fernando, Ganesha Thabrew, Ruwini Peshala, Thakshila Dayaratne. (Provincial coach Sunil Fernando, District Coaches Suresh Peiris, Amila Pinnaduwa).