The Sri Lanka women’s cricket team is set to take on South Africa in Match number 18 of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 on October 17, 2025. The match is set to be held at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
South Africa Women had a rough start to the tournament with a defeat against England. Thereafter, they have won three successive games to be flying ahead. A win here against Sri Lanka will help them book a virtual semi-final spot.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka need to improve their game and offer a fight. They have lost twice and are hanging by a thread with a NR against the Aussies and New Zealand respectively.
Sri Lanka started their World Cup 2025 journey with a defeat against India. Thereafter, they saw their clash against Australia get washed out without a ball being bowled. They were trumped by England next. They batted first against New Zealand before rain hampered play.
8 teams will vie it out for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup with all sides playing against one another. The top 4 teams from this 8-team table will make it to the semis.
What is the Context of the SL vs SA match?
South Africa are on a winning run and they would want to keep it intact. SA-W know the importance of this contest and a fight is what they will want again from their players.
Laura Wolvaardt will fancy her team’s chances to start strongly against Sri Lanka with the SA Women having an edge in this rivalry. The team will bank on key players like Tazmin Brits and Nadine de Klerk.
For Sri Lanka Women, a key performance is required here. They need to step and produce the goods. A defeat will almost guarantee an exit.
Spin will play a crucial role in this contest. Both sides have capable spinners.
In terms of the H2H record, Sri Lanka and South Africa have faced each other 25 times. The Sri Lankan team has lost on 16 occasions (W6 NR 3), as per ESPNcricinfo.
The stadium has hosted 7 matches in the ongoing World Cup. 1 match was abandoned due to rain. 2 games didn’t witness a result.
The SL vs SA match will start at 3 pm IST on October 17 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
South Africa – Probable Playing XI
Laura Wolvaardt (c): The star Proteas Women batter owns 877 World Cup runs from 19 matches. Overall, she has managed 4761 runs from 114 matches. She is SA Women’s top scorer in WODIs.
Tazmin Brits : She has scored 1525 runs from 43 matches. She has hit 7 tons and 2 fifties. She has scores of 5, 101, 0 and 0 in this World Cup.
Marianne Kapp: She boasts plenty of experience and pedigree. She has 3397 runs at 35-plus (100s: 4, 50s: 15). 545 of her runs have come at the Women’s World Cup.
Sune Luus: She is a promising figure. Luus owns 2579 runs at 25.53. Her scores in the ongoing World Cup are 2, 83* and 5.
Anneke Bosch: She needs to have a good game after recording 6, 0, 1 and 28 in the ongoing tournament.
Chloe Tryon: In 118 matches, she has scored 2229 runs at 26-plus. She has hit 14 fifties to date. She owns scores of 2 , 49 and a half-century in this ongoing tourney.
Sinalo Jafta (wk): In 45 matches (29 innings), she has managed 248 runs.
Nadine de Klerk: She is playing in her 54th WODI match. With the bat, she has scored 850 runs. With the ball, she has claimed 63 wickets.
Tumi Sekhukhune: In 31 matches, she owns 24 wickets. She picked 1/29 in the match against India. In the previous game, she went wicketless.
Nonkululeko Mlaba: In 41 WODIs, she owns 46 wickets. She owns eight wickets in this World Cup.
Ayabonga Khaka: In 17 WC games, she owns 18 wickets. Overall in WODIs, she has 137 wickets from 115 matches.
Player to watch out for (Laura Wolvaardt): The experienced Proteas ace will aim to make her presence felt with some quality runs.
Sri Lanka – Probable Playing XI
Hasini Perera: She has played 57 matches in WODIs and owns 947 runs. This is a big game for her and she will want to shred her inconsistency.
Vishmi Gunarathne: She is 28 WODIs old. The batter has scored 630 runs with one ton and 2 fifties. A big knock is due.
Chamari Athapaththu (c): From 118 matches, she has scored 3988 runs at an average of 35-plus. She has slammed 9 tons and a total of 20 fifties. She will need to play a big game.
Harshitha Samarawickrama: In 44 ODIs, she has amassed 1164 runs, including 1 century and 5 fifties, with a best of 105.
Nilakshika Silva: In 51 WODIs, the middle order batter has managed 1154 runs at an average of 27-plus, with a top score of 63.
Anushka Sanjeewani (wk): Another key element of this Sri Lanka side, Anushka has 580 runs from 48 matches (43 innings).
Sugandika Dasanayaka: The veteran spinner owns 40 wickets from 46 matches. She averages around 40 with the ball.
Achini Kulasuriya: She owns 21 wickets from 31 WODIs. With the bat, she has scored 99 runs.
Udeshika Prabodhani: She has managed 40 wickets from 72 matches. In the ongoing tourney, she has 5 wickets.
Inoka Ranaweera: The 39-year-old pacer has bagged 87 scalps for SL-W in ODIs. Recently, she floored India with 4/46 from 9 overs.
Player to watch out for (Chamari Athapaththu): The experienced Sri Lankan ace will aim to make her presence felt with some quality runs.
Pitch Report & Venue Conditions
The R. Premadasa Stadium offers a balanced surface which is flat in nature but deteriorates as the match progresses. The surface starts favouring spinners as the game wears on. The black-soil wicket provides consistent bounce early but becomes slower and grippier, assisting turn and variable bounce in the middle overs. Pacers get minimal seam or swing, especially under day-night conditions, making it a spinner’s paradise for subcontinental clashes.
Match Prediction – Who Has the Upper Hand?
All things considered, Colombo is set to offer a mixed wicket. Both sides have decent batting names and one can expect an even duel with spinners coming into play. South Africa will probably be the outright favourites given their experience and dominance. Sri Lanka should aim to be disciplined and offer resistance.
FAQs About SL vs SA Playing 11
Who are the key players in the SL vs SA clash?
Laura Wolvaardt will aim to make her presence felt with some quality runs upfront. Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu will aim to make a significant contribution for her team.