Southampton, July 16 (IANS) Kavisha Dilhari took 2-35 while a wicket each from Chamari Athapaththu, Sugandika Kumari, Nimasha Meepage, and Mithali Ayodhya helped Sri Lanka restrict New Zealand Women's innings to 150/6 in the seventh match of Group 2 of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 at The Rose Bowl on Tuesday.

Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine looked set to lead New Zealand Women to a much higher total, but Sri Lanka Women made a strong comeback with regular breakthroughs.

New Zealand chose to bat first for the second match in a row, even after losing their tournament opener. They were confident their bowlers could defend any target. At one point, with captain Amelia Kerr and experienced player Sophie Devine playing well, a score over 165 seemed easy to reach. However, Sri Lanka's bowlers kept taking wickets at crucial moments, preventing New Zealand from running away with the game.

The innings started dramatically. Izzy Gaze edged a catch off Mithali Ayodhya's bowling on the third ball of the match, leaving New Zealand at 4/1 in the first over.

Georgia Plimmer and Amelia Kerr then steadied the innings with a solid 49-run partnership for the second wicket. They faced a disciplined Sri Lankan attack and guided New Zealand to 38/1 by the end of the six-over Powerplay, with Plimmer not out on 15 and Kerr on 17.

The White Ferns reached fifty in 7.5 overs and looked ready to accelerate, but Nimasha Meepage took a wicket with her very first delivery. Plimmer fell for 18 off 22 balls, catching a ball to Hasini Perera at short third, which brought New Zealand to 53/2 in the ninth over.

At the halfway point, New Zealand was 73/2 and looking for momentum. Sophie Devine provided just that, scoring a boundary off her first ball and quickly starting an aggressive partnership with Kerr.

The experienced duo picked up the pace during the middle overs, attacking the spinners and threatening to take control of the game. With Kerr anchoring the innings and Devine hitting boundaries, New Zealand appeared to be heading toward a total beyond 165.

But Sri Lanka wouldn't let up.

Just when the White Ferns seemed ready to surge late in the innings, the visitors took wickets at consistent intervals. This stopped New Zealand from fully exploiting the strong foundation laid by Kerr and Devine, turning what could have been an impressive total into a more manageable one.

Kerr and Devine, though given themselves a score they were always looking to have Sri Lanka chasing, with the pressure still being maintained, with Kerr falling for 45 off 36 balls that included five boundaries, after slicing Kawya Kavindi to deep mid-wicket and not reaching the rope.

The middle and death overs would see Sri Lanka keep things tight as Halliday managed only 7, after being granted an unsuccessful review from Chamari Athapaththu that seemed to be outside off, before Devine threatened to set them on their way with a rapid 45 off 30 deliveries, with 4 fours and a six, before miscuing a loft to long-on, which would be caught. Izzy Sharp picked out a fielder two deliveries later for a silver duck.

Green on 18 and Kerr 6, with seven off the final over, took New Zealand to 150-6.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 150/6 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 45, Melie Kerr 45; Kavisha Dilhari 2-35) against Sri Lanka

--IANS

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