Sri Lanka's women's cricket on the rise

Missing out on the last Women’s World Cup in New Zealand was a bitter pill to swallow for everyone involved in Sri Lankan cricket.

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But instead of licking their wounds, the islanders rolled up their sleeves and went back to the drawing board. A raft of reforms followed and the results have been nothing short of stunning. Everyone remembers Sri Lanka’s fairytale Asia Cup triumph, toppling India in the final. Since then, the women in blue and gold have taken bigger scalps in bilateral series — South Africa, New Zealand and England have all felt the heat. Only Australia now remains the final frontier.

At this year’s Women’s World Cup, Sri Lanka punched above their weight to finish fifth — just below the four semifinalists. Rain played spoilsport in three of their matches and with a bit of luck they could easily have sneaked into the last four. Their fifth-place finish brought a handsome USD 700,000 in prize money — a timely shot in the arm for women’s cricket back home.