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SL-W vs AUS preview [Source: @ICC/x.com]
Sri Lanka Women (SL-W) are set to face the mighty Australia Women (AUS-W) in Match 5 of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday, October 4. The high-voltage clash will begin at 3:00 PM IST.
Sri Lanka Women
Sri Lanka Women come into this contest after a 59-run defeat to India Women in the tournament opener. Despite having India reeling at 124/6, Chamari Athapaththu’s side allowed them to recover and post 269/8. In the chase, Sri Lanka’s batting unit failed to capitalise on starts, with none of the players converting their innings into a substantial score.
Captain Chamari Athapaththu remains their talisman but she will need strong support from the likes of Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hasini Perera and Vishmi Gunaratne if Sri Lanka are to challenge the Australians. With the ball, the experienced trio of Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhani and Sugandika Kumari will be key in applying pressure. The hosts will need a near-perfect performance to pull off what would be a monumental upset.
Australia Women
Defending champions Australia Women began their campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating New Zealand Women by 89 runs. Batting first, the Aussies piled on 326, thanks to a counter-attacking century from Ashleigh Gardner. The bowlers then took charge with Sophie Molineux and Annabel Sutherland spearheading the attack to bowl New Zealand out for 237.
Led by captain Alyssa Healy, Australia boasts incredible depth in both batting and bowling. Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry and Beth Mooney form a strong top order, while the all-round firepower of Tahlia McGrath, Gardner and Sutherland provides balance. The bowling unit, led by Molineux, Alana King and Kim Garth, adds further bite. Australia will be looking to continue their dominance and make it two wins in two matches.
SL-W vs AUS-W head-to-head overview
Sri Lanka Women and Australia Women have played 11 ODIs, and Australia have won every single encounter.
R. Premadasa Stadium pitch report
The R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo is generally known to favour batters. The surface often produces high scores with fast bowlers getting some movement early on. As the game progresses, spinners tend to dominate, which makes shot selection critical in the middle overs. Out of 22 Women’s ODIs at this venue, teams batting first have won 12 matches while chasing sides have prevailed in 10. The captain winning the toss is expected to bat first and put runs on the board.
Sri Lanka Women and Australia Women’s probable playing XI
Sri Lanka Women
Hasini Perera, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Achini Kalasuriya, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari, Inoka Ranaweera
Australia Women
Alyssa Healy (c & wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Alana King, Kim Garth, Darcie Brown
Top run scorers in SL-W vs AUS-W ODIs
We are considering only the players from the current squad.
Chamari Athapaththu: 359 Runs
Chamari Athapaththu has scored 359 runs in 9 matches at an impressive average of 44.87, including a career-best 178*. She has two centuries against Australia and remains the only Sri Lankan batter to consistently challenge the world champions.
Alyssa Healy: 201 Runs
Alyssa Healy has piled up 201 runs in 5 innings against Sri Lanka, averaging a superb 67.00. With a highest score of 112*, she has a proven record of dominating Sri Lanka’s bowling attack at the top of the order.
Ellyse Perry: 161 Runs
Ellyse Perry has contributed 161 runs in 6 innings at an average of 40.25 with a top score of 77*. A reliable performer under pressure, she anchors the innings while also accelerating when required.
Top wicket-takers in SL-W vs AUS-W ODIs
We are considering only the players from the current squad.
Megan Schutt: 8 Wickets
Megan Schutt has claimed eight wickets in 7 matches against Sri Lanka at an average of 25.12 with best figures of 2/5. Known for her swing bowling, she often makes early inroads.
Chamari Athapaththu: 7 Wickets
Apart from her batting heroics, Chamari Athapaththu has also chipped in with the ball as she has picked up seven wickets in 8 innings at an average of 25.14. Her all-round ability makes her Sri Lanka’s most valuable player.
Ellyse Perry: 7 Wickets
Ellyse Perry has bagged seven wickets in 7 innings against Sri Lanka at an average of 20.14 with best figures of 2/28. Her seam bowling adds depth to Australia’s already potent attack.
SL-W vs AUS-W key stats
Sri Lanka Women’s Records
- Harshitha Samarawickrama has been Sri Lanka’s most consistent batter in 2025, scoring 365 runs in 9 ODIs at an average of 45.62 with four fifties.
- Nilakshi de Silva has contributed 256 runs in 9 ODIs this year at an average of 32.00.
- Chamari Athapaththu has been impactful with the ball this year as she has snagged nine wickets in as many ODIs at an economy of 5.18.
- Inoka Ranaweera vs Ellyse Perry in ODIs: 22 balls, 21 runs, one dismissal.
- Chamari Athapaththu vs Megan Schutt in ODIs: 79 runs, 77 balls, 0 dismissals.
- Sugandika Kumari vs Beth Mooney in ODIs: 3 runs in 4 balls, 0 dismissals.
- Achini Kulasuriya vs Ashleigh Gardner in ODIs: 1 run in 3 balls, 0 dismissals.
Australia Women’s Records
- Beth Mooney has amassed 335 runs in 7 ODIs in 2025 at a strike rate of 107.02, including 1 century and 2 fifties.
- Ashleigh Gardner has scored 317 runs in 7 ODIs this year at a strike rate of 109.31 with two hundreds to her name.
- Ellyse Perry has been consistent with 251 runs in 6 ODIs in 2025 at a strike rate of 78.93, including 2 fifties.
- In the bowling department, Alana King leads with 14 wickets in 7 ODIs this year at an economy of 5.24
- Kim Garth has taken 9 wickets in 6 matches this year at an economy of 4.76.
- Ellyse Perry vs Harshitha Samarawickrama in ODIs: 19 balls, 9 runs, 1 dismissal.
- Alyssa Healy vs Udeshika Prabodhani in ODIs: 24 runs in 20 balls, 0 dismissals.
Records that can be broken in SL-W vs AUS-W Match 5 of 2025 Women’s World Cup
- Chamari Athapaththu needs 80 runs to complete 4000 ODI runs and 4 wickets to reach 50 ODI wickets.
- Nilakshi de Silva requires 24 runs to complete 1000 ODI runs.
- Ellyse Perry needs 3 sixes to complete 50 ODI sixes.
- Beth Mooney is 4 fours short of 300 ODI fours.
- Ashleigh Gardner needs 59 runs to complete 1500 ODI runs.
- Annabel Sutherland requires 4 wickets to reach 50 ODI wickets.
- Georgia Wareham needs 4 wickets to complete 50 ODI wickets.
