1 day ago
1
Sri Lanka crippled New Zealand's rubric defence astatine the Women's Twenty20 World Cup with a comeback triumph connected Tuesday (June 16, 2026).
Sri Lanka bushed New Zealand for the archetypal clip successful a World Cup aft Nilakshika Silva and Kaushini Nuthyangana combined for an unbeaten 48 runs disconnected 28 balls to scope the 151 people with 2 balls remaining astatine the Rose Bowl.
New Zealand has mislaid its archetypal 2 radical matches. Only 1 squad successful tourney past has precocious to the semifinals with 2 defeats — South Africa astatine location successful 2023.
New Zealand was tainted again by dropped catches; six successful the opening nonaccomplishment to the West Indies and 3 much against Sri Lanka, 2 of them key.
Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu was enactment down connected 6 and made 27 to commencement their complaint successful the powerplay, and Silva was dropped connected 1 and made 54 not out.
Sri Lanka ended up 153-5 successful reply to New Zealand's 150-6.
“New Zealand is 1 of the champion teams and the satellite champions, and the tourney favorites,” Athapaththu said. “We bushed them and it means we tin bushed anyone successful the comp, we conscionable request to execute our plans.”
An unchanged New Zealand from the West Indies nonaccomplishment connected Saturday chose to bat archetypal connected the aforesaid transportation but lone skipper Melie Kerr and Sophie Devine got going with 45s.
The 2 were battering Sri Lanka unneurotic until Kerr was caught connected the boundary. Devine gave New Zealand anticipation but she was caught connected the boundary, too, successful the 18th over, and the Kiwis collected lone 11 runs disconnected the past 2 overs.
New Zealand had already dropped 2 catches successful Sri Lanka's pursuit erstwhile Georgia Plimmer took a superb drawback moving successful from long-on. The shot slipped betwixt her hands but she trapped it with her knees during a tally of 4 Sri Lanka wickets successful 4 overs.
It should person been 5 successful 5 but Silva turned her beingness connected 1 into a player-of-the-match performance.
When Kavisha Dilhara ran herself retired astatine 105-5 successful the 15th, Sri Lanka appeared to beryllium connected the ropes. But Silva's 2nd T20 50 successful 13 years and Nuthyangana's career-best 24 rushed Sri Lanka to the triumph aft its opening hiding from England.
