A stunning half-century by Nilakshika Silva helped Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by five wickets in their Group ‘B’ fixture of the Women’s T20 World Cup at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday. It was Sri Lanka’s maiden win over the White Ferns in a T20 World Cup and more importantly, it kept their semi-final hopes alive.
New Zealand and Sri Lanka had met seven times previously in T20 World Cups and the defending champions had maintained a perfect record, winning every encounter. They started as overwhelming favourites once again, but Nilakshika pulled off a remarkable upset against all odds.
>>Kirsten set to take guard as Sri Lanka seek reset<<
The 36-year-old veteran, who has represented the national side for 13 years, produced one of the finest innings of her career, posting an unbeaten 54 off 37 balls with five fours and a six as Sri Lanka scripted a memorable come from behind victory.
It was only Nilakshika’s second half-century in T20 internationals, but it could not have come at a better time with Sri Lanka’s chase threatening to unravel.
Pursuing a target of 151, Sri Lanka had raced to 45 without loss inside the Powerplay, but the dismissal of captain Chamari Atapattu triggered a collapse as the innings slipped to 55 for four, losing four wickets for the addition of just ten runs.
With the asking rate climbing above ten an over, Nilakshika had the unenviable task of rebuilding the innings while keeping pace with the required rate and she carried out both responsibilities to perfection.
Batting at number six, she added 50 runs for the fifth wicket with Kavisha Dilhari as Sri Lanka launched a spirited recovery. Dilhari’s run out appeared to hand New Zealand the initiative once again, but Nilakshika was not prepared to throw in the towel.
>>‘A’ team cricket; where futures are forged<<
Together with wicketkeeper Kaushini Nuthyangana, she put on 48 runs for the sixth wicket to seal victory with two balls to spare and spark joyous celebrations in the Sri Lankan camp.
Sri Lanka now head to Bristol for a crucial encounter against West Indies. Victory on Sunday will go a long way towards securing a semi-final berth for Chamari Atapattu’s side. They will remain in Bristol to face Ireland before heading to Manchester for their final group game against Scotland.
One area where Sri Lanka still need improvement is fielding. They were sloppy once again, although the effort was a marked improvement from the opening game against England in the curtain-raiser of the tournament.
