Women's T20 World Cup 2024 Points Table: Updated standings after Sri Lanka vs Australia match
Defending champions Australia began their Women's 2024 T20 World Cup campaign on a bright note by defeating Sri Lanka by six wickets in the Group A encounter at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday, October 5. The Alyssa Healy-led side were dominant across all departments to claim a headstart as far as their net run-rate is concerned.
After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka were put under immediate pressure. Megan Schutt and Ashleigh Gardner bowled a couple of maiden overs to kickstart proceedings. The opening batters crumbled under pressure as Vishmi Gunaratne recorded a 10-ball duck, while skipper Chamari Athapaththu failed to impress for the second game running.
After being reduced to 6/2 in the fourth over, Sri Lanka tried to rebuild but were caught in the web spun by Sophie Molineux and Georgia Wareham. The subcontinent side played out the entirety of their 20 overs, but could only muster 93/7.
The Women in Yellow were handed a shock as Sri Lanka struck twice in the early overs to reduce them to 14/2. The island nation delivered another breakthrough to worsen the score to 35/3, but did not have enough runs on the board to put pressure or make an impact.
Beth Mooney held one end, remaining unbeaten on 43 runs off 38 deliveries to guide Australia to the target with 5.4 overs to spare and them hand the first points of the campaign.
The triumph takes the defending to the second spot in the points table, below New Zealand, on the basis of net run-rate. Australia's figure reads +1.908, which is less than the Blackcaps' +2.900 for the time being.
Sri Lanka, after being on the receiving end of yet another tame defeat, are stuck in fourth place with a dismal net run-rate of -1.667.
Australia to face New Zealand on October 8 in Sharjah
The Women in Yellow are next scheduled to take on New Zealand in a crucial encounter at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on Tuesday, October 8. The Sophie Devine-led side made a strong start to the tournament with a thumping win over India recently.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are scheduled to face India in Dubai on Wednesday, October 9.