Following Sri Lanka’s impressive 2-0 series win over New Zealand in the three-match One-Day Internationals, the focus now shifts to the Twenty20 Internationals. The series opener is scheduled to take place on the 8th of July, 2023, at P Sara Stadium, Colombo, commencing at 10:00 AM Indian Standard Time.
In their previous encounters, Sri Lanka and New Zealand have faced off in 10 T20Is and with the latter emerging triumphant on all 10 occasions, enter the series as the dominant force with a sweeping 10-0 lead.
Squads:
Sri Lanka – Chamari Athapaththu (C), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Kawya Karvindi, Sugandika Kumari, Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhan, Hansima Karunaratne, Inoshi Fernando, Imesha Dulani, Hasini Perera
New Zealand – Sophie Devine (C), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Melie Kerr, Leigh Kasperek, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
Players to watch out:
Kavisha Dilhari
The 22-year-old all-rounder, in T20Is, has scored 204 runs in 27 innings and bagged 18 wickets in 33 matches. She is currently the player in form, having scored her highest individual score of 84 in ODIs and consistently delivering economical bowling figures.
Oshadi Ranasinghe
The 37-year-old spinner has taken 58 wickets in 63 T20Is at an economy rate of 6.87. Additionally, she has contributed 367 runs with the bat. Oshadi didn’t have the most impressive ODI series, but she remains a reliable option for taking wickets in the shortest format of the game.
Melie Kerr
The 22-year-old spin all-rounder has taken 58 wickets in 41 T20I innings and scored 657 runs. Melie had a remarkable performance in the ODIs, making significant contributions with the ball and consistently delivering economical spells.
Lea Tahuhu
The 32-year-old pacer has been a valuable asset to the team in T20Is, having claimed 72 wickets in 74 matches, with her best performance being 4/6. Lea had an outstanding ODI series, taking 5 wickets, and the team will rely on her to continue delivering the goods again.
Pitch:
The 22-yard strip at the venue pleases the bowlers, particularly the pacers, and presents difficulties for the batters. However, skilled batters can still score runs with strategic scoring, and the average score of 120 highlights the challenge for batters.
Weather:
Despite showers being forecasted during the first hour of the game and partly cloudy skies overhead, the radar looks promising for the rest of the match. The temperature is expected to hover around 30°C, with light winds and a humidity level of 80%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Suzie Bates, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Maddy Green, Chamari Athapaththu, Sophie Devine, Melie Kerr, Kavisha Dilhari, Inoka Ranaweera, Lea Tahuhu, Oshadi Ranasinghe
Match details:
Date – July 8, 2023
Time – 10:00 AM IST
Venue – Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo
Broadcast – A YouTube live-stream link for the game will be made available.