In a compelling Women’s ODI World Cup match held in Colombo, Sri Lanka posted a challenging total of 258 for 6 against New Zealand, thanks to a remarkable display of batting. Captain Chamari Athapaththu’s graceful half-century provided stability, while Nilakshika De Silva delivered an explosive, tournament-fastest fifty, perfectly complementing the innings.
Athapaththu’s knock of 53 runs off 72 balls was a masterclass in control and elegance, featuring seven beautifully timed fours. Her leadership at the crease set a confident tone for the Sri Lankan side.
Later in the innings, Nilakshika De Silva lit up the scoreboard with an astonishing 55 runs from just 28 balls, including seven boundaries and a towering six. Her aggressive approach ensured a powerful finish for her team.
The innings began strongly with a crucial 101-run opening partnership between Athapaththu and the promising young Vishmi Gunaratne, who contributed a steady 42 runs. Hasini Perera also added a valuable 44 runs to the total.
Right from the start, Athapaththu showcased her intent, opening her account with a magnificent cover drive and following it up with another well-placed shot through extra cover, indicating her determination to build a substantial score.
Having chosen to bat first in pursuit of their inaugural tournament victory, Sri Lanka’s strategic decision to promote the 20-year-old Gunaratne to open alongside her experienced captain proved highly effective.
The opening pair capitalized fully on the power play restrictions, accumulating 52 runs without losing a wicket in the initial ten overs.
However, the New Zealand “White Ferns” struggled in the field, displaying uncharacteristically sloppy performance. They missed multiple opportunities to dismiss both openers, fumbled several run-out chances, and committed numerous misfields, which only added to their growing frustration.
Despite their early fielding woes, New Zealand managed to regain some control after the power play, adopting tighter bowling lines and effectively curbing the flow of boundaries.
Athapaththu continued to impress, finding the boundary rope off Sophie Devine and then expertly chipping into the mid-wicket gap to reach her 20th ODI half-century.
But her impressive innings was soon brought to an end when Devine cleverly varied her pace, deceiving the Sri Lankan skipper who holed out to Maddy Green at deep cover.
As the scoring rate dipped, Gunaratne, who had struck three boundaries during her 83-ball stay, attempted to accelerate but was ultimately bowled by Rosemary Mair.
Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama (26) then consolidated the innings with a solid 58-run partnership.
Just as Sri Lanka seemed poised for another acceleration, New Zealand triggered a mini-collapse, quickly dismissing Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari (4), and Perera. This succession of wickets temporarily halted Sri Lanka’s momentum, until Nilakshika De Silva’s electrifying cameo, which included three boundaries in the final over bowled by Devine, provided the much-needed late surge.