It was a familiar tale for Sri Lanka. In a chase of 151, Chamari Athapaththu was dismissed, and in less than 3 overs, three more batters were back in the pavilion. At the 10th over mark with Sri Lanka at 60/4, they were given a 10.8% chance by the Cricinfo win predictor.
While Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine had a significant say in the White Ferns’ early middle-order dominance with the bat, which led to New Zealand scoring 42 runs between overs 8-11, Sri Lanka clearly missed their best batter in the same phase, after losing Chamari in the 6th over.
But as has been proven in recent times, this team is deeper than just their legendary skipper. It showed, first, in their bowling innings.
Just a few days after an embarrassing loss to England, where the bowling was especially wayward, it was the 19-year-old slinger Mithali Ayodhya who set the tone by picking up the early wicket of Isabella Gaze and conceding just 24 runs off four overs with her disciplined bowling.
Things looked ominous despite the encouraging start when Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine had New Zealand at 85/2 at the end of the 11th over. But a defensive spin-bowling masterclass with tight lines and lengths saw Sri Lanka concede just one over in the double digits for the rest of the innings as New Zealand set a target of 151.
On a used pitch, however, this was far from an easy chase, and a middle-order collapse later, it was looking near impossible. And that’s where Sri Lanka’s new-found depth truly came to the fore.
Having been dropped by Bree Illing on 1, Nilakshika Silva made the White Ferns pay with an innings of a lifetime. The 36-year-old scored her second career T20I fifty as she flicked and swept her way to boundaries while rotating strike using the long boundaries at Southampton.
Silva’s 54 not out was supported by Kavisha Dilhari (17) and Kaushini Nuthyangana (24 not out) as Sri Lanka remarkably made 93/1 in a period of 9.4 overs to win the match.
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Second half surge: Sri Lanka scored their most runs ever in overs 11-20 of a T20 World Cup match. After a tumultuous start to their innings, the Sri Lankan batters raised the roof in the second half of their innings.
Two disappointing losses in two for the defending champions New Zealand and a strong recovery for Sri Lanka.