Southampton : Sri Lanka caused a stir in Southampton on Tuesday as they defeated New Zealand by five wickets in a final-over thriller. It is their first win over the White Ferns in Women’s T20 World Cup.
An unbeaten half-century from Nilakshika Silva helped the Lankans recover from a mid-innings wobble and chase down a target of 151 in 19.4 overs.
For defending champions New Zealand, this was the second straight loss after they opened the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a seven-wicket defeat to West Indies.
On winning the toss, New Zealand captain Melie Kerr elected to bat. Though they lost Isabella Gaze early, Kerr led them to recovery with two important partnerships.
She put on 49 runs for the second wicket with Georgia Plimmer, and then stitched a 43-run stand with stalwart Sophie Devine. The experienced duo of Kerr and Devine shifted gears near the mid-way mark, scoring 23 runs in the 10th and 11th over to give the innings a much-needed boost.
It was a disciplined performance from Sri Lanka with the ball and in the field. A superb running catch from Kawya Kavindi, off the bowling of Kavisha Dilhari, cut Kerr’s innings short to 45 (36b, 5×4).
Meanwhile, Devine stamped her class yet again with 45 off 30. She struck four fours and the only six of the New Zealand innings. A quickfire 18 by Maddy Green helped the White Ferns to a competitive total of 150/6.
While five of the six Sri Lankan bowlers claimed wickets, Dilhari was the most successful with 2/35 from her four overs.
In reply, Sri Lanka started slow and steady. They stepped on the gas in the last two overs of powerplay, garnering 29 runs. Captain Chamari Athapaththu led the early charge with a six over point.
However, the Lankans lost their talismanic skipper while trying to accelerate. Bree Illing castled Athapaththu for 27 to trigger a top-order collapse, as Sri Lanka slipped from 45/1 to 55/4.
Fielding had let New Zealand down in their first match against the West Indies. Even though they were tidier against Sri Lanka, especially with Georgia Plimmer overcoming nerves to hold on to a catch to dismiss Vishmi Gunarathne and Melie Kerr nailing a direct hit to run out Hasini Perera, their fielding was found wanting once the pressure started mounting.
When Nilakshika Silva walked onto the field, Sri Lanka had just lost four wickets for 10 runs and the defending champions were on the ascendancy.
However, Silva and Dilhari dug their heels in and put on 50 runs for the fifth to haul the Lankans back on track. They kept pace with New Zealand without taking too many risks.
Even after Dilhari was run out, Sri Lanka did not let panic set in. Silva and Kaushini Nuthyangana guided their team through the tough phase and past the finish line. It was only the second T20I half-century for Silva, who struck five fours and one six for 54 off 37 balls.
Nuthyangana’s support at the other end was vital and the wicketkeeper-batter contributed with an unbeaten 24 as Sri Lanka finished on 153/5 in 19.4 overs.
