New Zealand Title Defense in Tatters

A stirring win for Sri Lanka over New Zealand by 5 wickets has kept their campaign alive. New Zealand on the other hand will now struggle to make the finals.

Amelia Kerr won the toss and chose to bat first. New Zealand lost  Izzy Gaze early, and Georgia Plimmer not long after, but it was the loss of witkets, it was the pedestrian nature of the innings that, while a decent total of 150/6 was posted, it was felt they left at least 20 runs out there, particularly with only six wickets down. Best for the Kiwis were Amelia Kerr (45) and Sophie Devine (45).

There was more urgency from the Sri Lankans when they cam out to bat, not the least being a 27 run cameo from skipper Chamari Athapaththu. It set the tone for the innings. The real heroes though, veteran Nilakshi de Silva (54*) and new keeper,
Kaushini Nuthyangana (24*) whose 48 run unbroken stand drove the innings home for Sri Lanka.

Nilakshi de Silva with the way she guided Sri Lanka home was named player of the match. The award could easily have gone to Kaushini Nuthyangana who was excellent behind the stumps and played an enterprising knock at the end.

For New Zealand, they have to win all of their remaining three games – and handsomely – to even get a sniff at a spot in the finals. At what point will they consider selecting veterans Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu?

Scores:

New Zealand 150/6 (Amelia Kerr 45, Sophie Devine 45, Kaveisha Dilhari 2-35) v
Sri Lanka 153/5 (Nilakshi de Silva 54*, Chamari Athapaththu 27, Nensi Patel 2-23) by 5 wickets

POTM: Nilakshi de Silva