Sri Lanka led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu was up against New Zealand led by skipper Sophie Devine in the 15th match of the tournament at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and opted to bat first. The Sri Lankan openers Vishmi Gunaratne and skipper Chamari Athapaththu got their side off to a steady start with a 26-run opening partnership. Eden Carson cleaned up Vishmi Gunaratne to provide the first breakthrough for New Zealand.
Harshitha Samarawickrama joined skipper Chamari Athapaththu at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 48-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side closer to the 100-run mark. Amelia Kerr cleaned up the opposition skipper Chamari Athapaththu to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side.
Sri Lanka eventually ended up with a total of 115/5 in their quota of 20 overs. Sri Lankan skipper Athapaththu (35 off 41 balls), Samarawickrama (18 off 29 balls), and Nilakshika Silva (14* off 11 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Sri Lanka. Amelia Kerr (4-0-13-2), Leigh Kasperek (4-0-27-2), Eden Carson (4-0-19-1), and Rosemary Mair (4-0-17-0) were the top performers with the ball for New Zealand.
Chasing a target of 116, the New Zealand openers, Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer got their side off to a good start with a 49-run opening partnership. Sachini Nisansala cleaned up Suzie Bates to provide the first breakthrough for Sri Lanka. Amelia Kerr joined Georgia Plimmer at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 46-run partnership for the 2nd wicket to take their side on the cusp of victory.
Skipper Chamari Athapaththu picked up the wicket of Georgia Plimmer to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. She completed her well-deserved half-century, her 2nd in the format before being dismissed. Skipper Sophie Devine joined Amelia Kerr at the crease and the duo took their side over the line with an unbeaten 23-run partnership for the 3rd wicket. The White Ferns sealed a much-needed victory by 8 wickets and 15 balls to spare.
New Zealand wraps up a smooth chase against Sri Lanka!
Georgia Plimmer’s 53 and Amelia Kerr’s 34 seals the deal 💪#CricketTwitter #T20WorldCup2024 pic.twitter.com/qziieBosU8
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) October 12, 2024
Georgia Plimmer (53 off 44 balls), Amelia Kerr (34* off 31 balls), Suzie Bates (17 off 22 balls), and skipper Sophie Devine (13* off 8 balls) were the top performers with the bat for New Zealand. Sachini Nisansala (4-0-24-1), skipper Athapaththu (2-0-8-1), and Sugandika Kumari (3.3-0-23-0) were the top performers with the ball for Sri Lanka.
A match-winning knock from 20-year-old Georgia Plimmer 👏 #CricketTwitter #T20WorldCup2024 pic.twitter.com/MVXh6kO8EB
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) October 12, 2024
Georgia Plimmer was awarded the Player of the Match for her brilliant match-winning innings (53 off 44 balls) with the bat. She notched up her 2nd half-century in the format, just 2 innings apart.
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