In the final one-day international at Stormont in Belfast, Sri Lanka triumphed over Ireland with an eight-wicket win, led by key performances from Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama. Forced to go to bat first after an unfortunate coin toss, Ireland struggled initially falling to 28 for five. Their tenuous score of 122 was greatly owed to Arlene Kelly’s contribution of 35. Samarawickrama and Athapaththu, the team captain, brought home the victory for Sri Lanka in less than 24 overs, each scoring a strong 48 with Samarawickrama not out. The match started ominously for Ireland who quickly dropped to zero for two after only two deliveries from Achini Kulasuriya, who saw off Sarah Forbes and Amy Hunter. Ireland managed to creep into triple figures, however, through Kelly’s contribution and some lower-order pluckiness. But Samarawickrama and Athapaththu were stubborn in their offense, holding firm even when Vishmi Gunaratne was removed for nine, preventing Ireland from avoiding a complete series defeat.
