New Zealand are in danger of an early exit as Sri Lanka stun the defending champions

New Zealand are in serious danger of missing out on a place in the semi-finals of the U20 Women’s World Cup. On Tuesday, June 16, Sri Lanka produced a stunning performance to beat the defending champions by five wickets at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Despite a brief drizzle, Sri Lanka remained undeterred and completed their highest successful run in the history of the tournament.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka Women’s World Cup T20: Highlights | Scorecard

Nilakshika de Silva led the attack with an experienced batting, scoring a 33-ball half-century to lead Sri Lanka over the line in a thrilling match. Chamari Athapaththu’s team also bounced back strongly from a heavy defeat to England to keep their semi-final hopes alive. As for the White Ferns, they now need to win their remaining three games to have a realistic chance of finishing in the top two.

KERR, DEVINE CARRY NEW ZEALAND

Amelia Kerr scored 45 runs for New Zealand. Courtesy: Getty Images

After electing to bat first, New Zealand posted a competitive 150/6, but the total eventually proved insufficient against a spirited Sri Lankan chase. The White Ferns came under pressure early on as keeper Isabella Gaze conceded four in the opener to leave them at 4/1.

Captain Amelia Kerr and Georgia Plimmer then leveled the innings with a 49-run partnership for the second wicket. Plimmer made 18 before Kerr anchored the innings with 45 off 36 balls and hit five boundaries. Seasoned all-rounder Sophie Devine added momentum in the middle overs with an aggressive 45 off just 30 deliveries, including four fours and a six.

Despite the efforts of Kerr and Devine, the Sri Lankan bowlers struck at regular intervals to keep New Zealand in check. Kavisha Dilhari was the standout performer with figures of 2/35 while Mithali Ayodhya, Nimasha Meepage, Sugandika Kumari and Chamari Athapaththu claimed a wicket each.

Maddy Green’s unbeaten 18 off 13 balls provided a late flourish as New Zealand closed their innings in impressive fashion.

NILAKSHIKA TAKES SRI LANKA HOME

Nilakshika Silva scored an unbeaten 54. Courtesy: Getty Images

In the chase, Athapaththu set the tone with a blistering 27 off 19 balls, but New Zealand hit back through Nensi Patel, who dismissed Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshith Samarawickram. Two run-outs further halted Sri Lanka’s progress as they slumped to 105/5 after 15 overs.

With the match tied, Nilakshika Silva came through with the match winning strike. The veteran batsman remained unbeaten on 54 off 37 deliveries, hitting five fours and a six. She got excellent support from wicketkeeper Kaushini Nuthyangan, who scored an unbeaten 24 off just 14 balls at a pace of 171.42.

The duo added an unbroken 48 runs for the sixth wicket to guide Sri Lanka to a memorable five-wicket victory with two balls to spare. It was New Zealand’s second straight defeat after losing to the West Indies, leaving the defending champions staring at the prospect of an early exit from the tournament.

– The end

Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

16 Jun 2026 22:51 IST