Sri Lanka Women chase down New Zealand in T20 World Cup

Sri Lanka Women won by 5 wickets with two balls remaining against New Zealand Women in Match 7 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with Nilakshika Silva leading the chase with 54 in a composed Player of the Match display. Her innings carried Sri Lanka to 153/5 in 19.4 overs after New Zealand Women had posted 150/6.

The result added another close finish to a tournament that had already seen England Women, Scotland Women, Australia Women, West Indies Women, Bangladesh Women and India Women open with victories in the first six matches. For Sri Lanka Women, this was an important first step in the group stage, while New Zealand Women were left searching for points in a competition that still has plenty of cricket to come.

New Zealand Women built their 150/6 around two substantial contributions at the top of the card. Melie Kerr made 45 and Sophie Devine matched her with 45, giving the innings its main shape, while Maddy Green added 18. Sri Lanka Women kept the scoring from getting away in the second half of the innings, with Kavisha Dilhari returning 2 wickets, while Chamari Athapaththu and Mithali Ayodhya chipped in with a wicket each.

That control proved significant in the chase. Sri Lanka Women did not need one overwhelming partnership as much as they needed enough contributions through the middle overs, and they found them. Nilakshika Silva’s 54 was the defining innings, Chamari Athapaththu added 27, and Kaushini Nuthyangana’s 24 helped keep the asking rate manageable as the target came into range.

New Zealand Women had their moments with the ball, particularly through Nensi Patel, who took 2 wickets, while Bree Illing claimed 1. But Sri Lanka Women held their nerve in the closing stages and crossed the line at 153/5 with two balls remaining, a finish that underlined how finely balanced the contest remained deep into the 20th over.

The match did not decide anything on its own this early in a 33-match tournament, but it did strengthen Sri Lanka Women’s position in the standings and extend the race in this phase of the competition. There is no pause in the schedule either, with England Women vs Ireland Women still to come later on Tuesday, followed by Australia Women vs Bangladesh Women, India Women vs Netherlands Women, and Pakistan Women vs South Africa Women on Wednesday.

Key performers

• Nilakshika Silva – 54, Player of the Match
• Melie Kerr – 45 for New Zealand Women
• Sophie Devine – 45 for New Zealand Women
• Chamari Athapaththu – 27 and 1 wicket
• Kavisha Dilhari – 2 wickets for Sri Lanka Women
• Nensi Patel – 2 wickets for New Zealand Women

NerdSports Stat: This was the first match of the tournament so far in which the side batting second chased 150 or more and still finished the job with balls to spare.

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