The West Indies U-19 Women’s team’s hopes of advancing to the Super Six stage of the ICC U-19 Women’s World Cup have been dealt a significant blow after they suffered an 81-run defeat to Sri Lanka in their second Group A encounter on Monday.

The loss leaves the West Indies winless after two matches in the tournament, with their qualification hopes now hanging by a thread. Sri Lanka, electing to bat first, posted a challenging total of 166 for 5 in their 20 overs, with captain Manudi Nanayakkara leading the charge with a brisk 41 runs off 31 balls.

Selena Ross was the standout bowler for West Indies, claiming 2 wickets for 25 runs, but her efforts were not enough to restrict the Sri Lankan total.

In response, the Windies struggled to find momentum and were dismissed for just 85 runs in 19.4 overs. Captain Samara Ramnath fought valiantly with a knock of 24 runs off 23 balls, but she had little support from the rest of the batting line-up. Jahzara Claxton (15) and Kenika Cassar (12) were the next best contributors, but the West Indies collapsed under pressure. Sri Lanka’s Chamodi Praboda was the chief destroyer, taking 3 wickets for 16 runs to lead her team to victory.

With this result, the young Windies Women remain pointless in the standings, alongside host nation Malaysia, who are also without a win. Sri Lanka, with two victories, have cemented their place in the next round, alongside India, who are also undefeated with 4 points from two games.

The West Indies now face a must-win scenario in their final group match against Malaysia on Wednesday. The winner of this clash will finish in third place in the group and secure a spot in the next stage of the tournament.