The bilateral series between New Zealand and Sri Lanka is just round the corner, commencing from 4th March 2025. As a precursor, two 50-over warm up matches were scheduled to take place between a 14-member New Zealand XI squad and the touring Sri Lanka contingent. The first match took place on February 27, while the second is scheduled for February 28, at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval, starting at 10:00 AM local time.
In their first warm up match, New Zealand XI emerged victorious, winning by six wickets, courtesy to half centuries from Brooke Halliday (76), Georgia Plimmer (73) and skipper Jess Watkin (63). Sri Lanka who opted to bat first, scored 244 runs with Vishmi Rajpaksha scoring 61 runs and Kavisha Dilhari scoring 48. New Zealand XI captain Jess Watkin also registered a three-wicket haul.
Squads:
New Zealand XI
Jess Watkin (C), Kate Anderson, Ocean Bartlett, Flora Devonshire, Marama Downes, Kate Gaging, Claudia Green, Brooke Halliday, Emma Mcleod, Nensi Patel, Georgia Plimmer, Izzy Sharp, Jess Simmons, Eve Wolland
Sri Lanka
Chamari Athapaththu (C), Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Nilakshika Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Manudi Nanayakkara, Imesha Dulani, Achini Kulasuriya, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sachini Nisansala, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Inoshi Priyadarshini, Sugandika Kumari, Rashmika Sewwandi, Chethana Vimukthi
Players to watch out:
Georgia Plimmer
The 21-year-old middle order batter has an impressive record in ODIs, scoring 256 runs in 21 innings. She has also made her mark in T20Is, scoring 396 runs in 30 innings. Notably, in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, she won the Player of the Match award for her 53 runs off 44 balls against Sri Lanka. Recently, in the first warm-up match, she scored 73 runs.
Nensi Patel
The 22-year-old all-rounder Nensi Patel had a notable performance in the New Zealand Women’s One Day Competition 2024-25, where she amassed 245 runs in 10 innings and also picked up 9 wickets for Brave. She carried her form in the first warm-up match, finishing with figures of 1/39 in 10 overs.
Harshitha Samarawickrama
The 26-year-old left-handed batter has a solid batting record, scoring 739 runs in 32 ODI innings, including the highest score of 105, and 1514 runs in 65 T20I innings. Her outstanding skills were on full display in the Women’s Asia Cup Final, where she was named the Player of The Match for her unbeaten 69 off 51 balls, guiding Sri Lanka to victory.
Kavisha Dilhari
The 24-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder boasts a wonderful record in ODIs having scored 482 runs in 23 innings and taken 28 wickets. In T20Is, she has scored 522 runs in 50 innings and claimed 51 wickets. She scored a crucial 48(70) in the first warm-up match.
Pitch:
Bert Sutcliffe Oval promises an engaging contest, with the wicket aiding both batters and bowlers. The neutral character, also indicated by the average score of 230 at this venue, will see spinners hold the upper hand.
Weather:
The conditions in Lincoln are expected to be mostly sunny with a temperature of 20°C. There is a 10% chance of precipitation, and humidity levels are at 76%, which could make for slightly humid playing conditions. The wind speed at 29 km/h, might influence swing bowling and fielding strategies.
Fantasy Playing XI:
Anushka Sanjeewani, Georgia Plimmer, Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Chamari Athapaththu, Kavisha Dilhari, Brooke Halliday, Jess Watkin, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Ocean Bartlett
Match details:
Date – February 28, 2025
Time – 2:30 AM IST
Venue – Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln
Broadcast – The matches will be live-streamed on NZC’s YouTube channel and live-scored on the NZC website and app.
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