A chance to get exposure

Sri Lanka women's first home series against West Indies had an inauspicious start with five national players losing their jobs last week, seemingly for opting to play cricket. Such a situation can irrevocably affect women's cricket in Sri Lanka, discouraging young girls from taking up the game. However, for now the series is on and the teams are evenly matched, which will make for a more interesting contest than the two sides' previous engagements.

West Indies comprehensively beat Ireland and Netherlands in their tour of Europe in July-August but lost to England in the only ODI, while Sri Lanka easily beat Bangladesh and Pakistan but lost their matches to India in the Asia Cup in May this year.

West Indies won the only tour match of the series, against a Sri Lanka XI, by 112 runs but their opposition did not include hard-hitting opener Dedunu Silva or captain Shashikala Siriwardene.

In the southern hemisphere the top two teams, Australia and India, are fighting for bragging rights ahead of the World Cup - with Australia leading the five ODI-series 2-0 - but in Sri Lanka, No. 5 and No. 6, West Indies and Sri Lanka, are simply hoping for as much match practice as they can manage before the tournament in March.

Dedunu Silva: She was the second highest run-getter in the Asia Cup, aggregating 268 runs from seven matches with three half-centuries.

Stefanie Taylor: She made the headlines with an explosive Twenty20 debut against Ireland where she scored 90 off 49 balls in West Indies' 75-run win. She scored another half-century in an ODI against the same opposition. Going by her century off 113 balls in the tour game in Colombo, Taylor seems to have adapted as easily to the warm Sri Lankan conditions as she did to wet and cold Ireland.

"I am hoping the girls gain more experience. It is quite a young side. I want them to learn, but I want them to win as well."
Sherwin Campbell, the West Indies women's coach, hopes the series will help his team get more exposure to international cricket.

November 5 - 1st ODI, Dambulla
November 7 - 2nd ODI, Dambulla
November 9 - 3rd ODI, Kurunegala
November 11 - 4th ODI, Colombo
November 12 - 5th ODI, Colombo

Squads:

Sri Lanka: Shashikala Siriwardene (capt), Chamari Polgampola, Dedunu Silva, Chamika Bandara, Suwini de Alwis, Eshani Kaushalya, Chamani Seneviratna, Sanduni Abeywickrama, Inoka Galagedara, Dilani Manodara (wk), Sripali Weerakkody, Rose Fernando, Chandi Wickramaratne , Udeshika Prabodhini, Hiruka Fernando.

West Indies: Nadine George (capt), Stefanie Taylor, Charlene Taitt, Deandra Dottin, Shanel Daley, Kirbyina Alexander, Danielle Small, Juliana Nero, Stacy Ann King, Phernel Charles, Anisa Mohammed, Erva Giddings, Merissa Aguilleira, Afy Fletcher.