Colombo, Oct 17 (NationPress) Sri Lanka has emerged victorious in the toss and has opted to bat first against South Africa during the 18th match of the ICC Women's World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Friday.

In a strategic move, South Africa made three adjustments to their team, including the introduction of Sune Luus, Karabo Meso, and Nondumiso Shangase, who replace Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta, and Tumi Sekhukhune.

Conversely, Sri Lanka has decided to maintain their previous lineup, trusting the same combination that played against New Zealand in their last match.

Captain Chamari Athapaththu remarked, "We have chosen to bat first. Our performance against New Zealand was commendable, so we plan to follow the same strategy. We focus on our plans and have been training rigorously. The team that plays the best cricket today will prevail. We believe in our abilities as we have performed well against South Africa both here and there. We are going with the same XI."

On the other hand, South Africa's captain Laura Wolvaardt stated, "We are not overly concerned about batting second. We have found success chasing in the past. With potential rain, we are comfortable adapting to the situation. The pitch looks favorable for batting, so early assessment will be key for our bowlers. Our top order hasn't performed at its best this tournament, but we are focused on improvement. With our three changes, we are bringing in two off-spinners to counter the left-handed batsmen from Sri Lanka."

Playing XIs:

South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt (c), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Annerie Dercksen, Marizanne Kapp, Karabo Meso (wk), Chloe Lesleigh Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Nondumiso Shangase, Masabata Klaas, Nonkululeko Mlaba.

Sri Lanka Women: Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Madavi Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Piumi Badalge, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Sugandika Kumari, Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera.