Match Details
Chasing a meager total of 107, New Zealand were off to a sedate start as the openers Suzie Bates and Bernadine Bezuidenhout only managed to accumulate 5 runs off the first two overs. The right-hander Bezuidenhout 4(11) tried to break the shackles but holed out to mid-on in the process. Amelia Kerr then paired up with Bates and started to accelerate the innings by exploiting the field restrictions inside the powerplay. Bates, on the other hand, played the second fiddle to her by soaking up the pressure.
Both the right-handers maneuvered the ball nicely into the gaps and kept scoring at a decent rate. They orchestrated a 58-run partnership for the 2nd wicket and just when the comeback chances were starting to look bleak for Sri Lanka, Inoshi Priyadharshani Fernando extracted two wickets in the 12th over. The right-arm spinner first dismissed well-set Kerr for 34(28) before skipper Sophie Devine 0(2) holed out in the deep. That was soon followed by the wicket of Maddy Green 5(6). Suzie Bates kept marching on despite wickets tumbling at the other end and played a match-winning knock of 44(47). Inoshi Priyadharshani Fernando was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka and finished her stint with excellent figures of 3/17.Earlier in the day, after being invited to bat first, Sri Lanka were off to a disastrous start as Eden Carson uprooted Chamari Athapaththu 0(1) in the first delivery of the contest. Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Madavi stitched a 37-run partnership for the 2nd wicket after the early departure of Athapaththu but the Kiwi bowlers were unable to stem the flow of runs in the powerplay. The right-handed Gunaratne 26(28) played some splendid shots but her stay was ceased by Amelia Kerr. Harshitha Madavi attempted to counterattack by bringing out some scoops but the left-hander was dismissed for 12(19) in the process as Sri Lanka were tottering at 47/3 at the halfway stage of the innings.
The White Ferns kept striking at regular intervals in the middle overs and didn’t allow any partnership to flourish. The boundaries were also dried up completely before Anushka Sanjeewani 18(17) and Oshadi Ranasinghe 18(15) pushed the pedal by adding 29 runs for the 7th wicket. However, Sophie Devine rotated her bowlers brilliantly and exploited the sluggish surface. Leigh Kasperek, Eden Carson, and Amelia Kerr clinched two wickets each while former captain Suzie Bates also picked up a wicket. Stick around for the post-match presentation!