The ongoing 3-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series between Sri Lanka and New Zealand is set to conclude on the 12th of July, 2023, with the 3rd and final T20I set to take place at Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo. The match is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
In the 2nd T20I, Sri Lanka had a challenging start, but Harshitha Samarawickrama’s contribution of 23 runs provided some initial respite. Late contributions from Hasini Perera (33), Nilakshi de Silva (22), and Anushka Sanjeewani (18) helped Sri Lanka reach a total of 118/6. In response, New Zealand’s Suzie Bates played a crucial innings, scoring a fifty to ease the chase. Melie Kerr’s unbeaten 33 runs guided New Zealand to a comforting 8-wicket win and a series victory.
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:
Anushka Sanjeewani
The 33-year-old keeper-batter in 51 T20I innings has scored 531 runs at a strike rate of 84.28. Anushka hasn’t had the best series so far, but has shown promise with a couple of starts of 18 runs each and would eye to capitalize on it.
Chamari Athapaththu
The 33-year-old all-rounder in 36 T20Is, in 113 innings has scored 2404 runs and stuck 34 wickets in 58 innings. Chamari has failed to follow up her stellar ODI series with a good run in the T20Is contributing just 2 runs and remaining wicketless in 2 games.
Sophie Devine
The 33-year-old all-rounder has played 121 T20Is and scored 2974 runs and struck 110 wickets. Sophie didn’t have much to add to the batting card in the 2nd T20I, while had departing cheaply in the opener and has under-bowled herself in the series.
Leigh Kasperek
The 31-year-old spinner, in T20Is, in 48 innings has struck 77 wickets and has registered the best of 4/7, while has accumulated 104 runs in 22 innings. Leigh had a brilliant start to the T20I series producing figures of 2/21, however, had an expensive next outing, and remains to see how she bounces back.
Pitch:
The center wicket at the venue offers an intriguing battle between bat and ball. Batters find favorable conditions to score runs, while bowlers, both spinners and pacers, can take advantage of the wicket. The average score at this venue is a modest 120, reflecting the competitive nature of the games played here.
Weather:
With light winds, humidity at 80%, and the temperature forecasted to hover around 30°C, the conditions are pleasant to be at the cricket. The overhead is expected to be partly cloudy, however, the chances of rain are minimal during match hours.
Fantasy playing XI:
Anushka Sanjeewani, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Suzie Bates, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hasini Perera, Melie Kerr, Leigh Kasperek, Kavisha Dilhari, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Inoshi Fernando
Match details:
Date – July 12, 2023
Time – 10:00 AM IST
Venue – Pakiasothy Saravanamuttu Stadium, Colombo
Broadcast – A YouTube live-stream link for the game will be made available.