ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 | Match 18: Sri Lanka vs South Africa | Preview and Predictions

Sri Lanka will hope that Lady Luck turns their way after a series of unfortunate happenings as they take on a steadily ascendant South Africa in what promises to be a fascinating Match 18 of the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.

For the game, here we present our preview and predictions.

ICC Women’s CWC 2025 | Match 18: SL vs SA | 15:00, October 17

Sri Lanka have been competitive throughout the tournament so far, but such has been their wretched luck that they haven’t been able to reap the benefits of their overall good performances.

Against India, case in point, they failed to hammer home the advantage due to a combination of poor fielding and ordinary batting, despite having the Women in Blue on the ropes with six wickets down and barely anything on the scoreboard. Against Australia, meanwhile, rain ensured not a single ball was bowled.

However, it was the game against New Zealand that will feel like a golden opportunity gone through no fault of their own. Batting first against the White Ferns, Sri Lanka batted out of their skins to post an above-par total of 258/6 and would have fancied themselves to get a result thanks to their measly and highly skilled bowling attack. However, the rain gods intervened again, and all they could manage to eke out was a point.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu will desperately hope that, for once, the rub of the green goes her team’s way as they seek to put up their first win of the tournament and make a late push for a spot in the semi-finals.

South Africa, on the other hand, have made this World Cup into a happy habit of picking up wins from seemingly improbable positions. Just when it felt like they would slip to a loss against India, Chloe Tryon and Nadine de Klerk put up a rescue act for the ages after a steadfast knock up top from Laura Wolvaardt to emerge victorious by three wickets. And if that was not enough, de Klerk did it again, this time against Bangladesh, who were threatening to get a major upset. 

The likes of de Klerk, Tryon, Ayabonga Khaka, and Nonkululeko Mlaba have been dependable performers alongside captain Wolvaardt, who once again will be hoping to get two more points to further move towards securing that semi-final berth.

While this game seems to have all the makings of a classic banana-skin encounter for the Proteas given Sri Lanka’s home advantage, we expect the visitors to be the favourites here, while being mindful of the fact that they may be in for a surprise by the Lankan Lionesses.

Fantasy XI: Laura Wolvaardt, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera, Nonkululeko Mlaba

Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Winners Prediction: South Africa