New Zealand A Women finished their three-match One Day series against Sri Lanka A Women with a strong win at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on May 18, 2026. Rain shortened Sri Lanka A Women’s innings, and the DLS method was used, but New Zealand’s good batting, key partnerships, and smart bowling helped them win by 84 runs and take the series 1-0.
Earlier One Dayers Affected by Rain
The first two games were affected by rain, ending no result. On May 12, the first match ended with no result after Sri Lanka A Women scored 217/7 in 42 overs. New Zealand A Women did not get to finish their innings. The second ODI on May 15 was also halted by rain. New Zealand A Women were chasing a revised target of 123 in 20 overs and were 66/4 when play was called off. Both teams had to wait until the final game to decide the series winner.
Kate Anderson Leads New Zealand A to 273/8
In the third and final match, New Zealand A Women chose to bat first after winning the toss. The start was tricky as Bella James was out lbw for 10 and Prue Catton was caught for 15. Captain Jess Watkin steadied the innings with 36 runs off 36 balls. The innings improved thanks to a big partnership between opener Kate Anderson and Bella Armstrong. Anderson scored a calm 84 from 108 balls with six boundaries, while Armstrong made 59 from 57 balls, hitting eight boundaries. Their partnership helped the team recover and set a strong total.
Later, Kayley Knight added 38 not out from 22 balls, and Marama Downes stayed unbeaten on 4. Extras added 10 runs, including eight wides, and the New Zealand team finished on 273/8 in 50 overs. For Sri Lanka A Women, Tharuka Shehani took 4 wickets for 64 runs, and Chamudi Praboda got 2 wickets for 37 runs.
Marama Downes’ 4-Fer Folds Sri Lanka A for 149
Sri Lanka A Women had a revised target of 234 from 38 overs. Vishmi Gunaratne scored 23, but the top order collapsed soon. Sanjana Kavindi led the fight with 79 from 73 balls, hitting 10 boundaries and three sixes. She shared a 40-run partnership with Piumi Wathsala, who scored 24. However, wickets kept falling, and the run rate kept rising. Besides the opening pair and Wathsala, no other Sri Lankan batter managed double digit scores.
Marama Downes was the star with the ball, taking 4/18, while Bella Armstrong took 3/39 and JA Watkins got 2 wickets. Armstrong also ran out one batter. Sri Lanka A Women were all out for 149 in 33.2 overs, 84 runs short.
The match was won thanks to good partnerships and smart bowling by New Zealand. Anderson and Armstrong’s stand set up the total, Knight’s quick runs at the end helped, and Downes’ bowling stopped the chase. Kavindi’s 79 was the main highlight for Sri Lanka A Women, but others could not support her. After two rain-affected games, New Zealand A Women’s win in the third ODI wrapped up the series 1-0.
Top Performers:
Looking at the series overall, Marama Downes and Bella Armstrong were the top wicket-takers for New Zealand A Women, both taking 5 wickets in 2 innings, with Downes averaging 9.6 and Armstrong 12.0. For Sri Lanka A Women, Tharuka Shehani was the leading bowler with 5 wickets in 2 innings, averaging 15.0. On the batting side, Sanjana Kavindi scored 125 runs in 3 innings for Sri Lanka A Women, averaging 41.66. Kate Anderson was the top scorer for New Zealand A Women with 103 runs in 2 innings, averaging 103.0, while Sumudu Nisansala made 82 runs in 3 innings, averaging 27.33.
Looking Ahead: T20 Matches
With the One Day series over, both teams now shift focus to the T20 matches. The first T20 will be played on May 21, the second on May 23, and the third on May 25, all at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. These shorter games will give both teams a chance to show their batting and bowling skills and end the tour on a high note.
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