New Zealand began their Super Six campaign with a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. Their seamers set the stage for a big win after Sri Lanka were put in to bat and were dismissed for 103 in 42 overs. In four matches, this is the third time New Zealand have dismissed their opposition for a low score, after bowling South Africa out for 170 and Pakistan for 104 in their first two matches. New Zealand now have four points, after carrying forward two points from the first stage.
Opening bowlers Sian Ruck and Lea Tahuhu shared seven wickets between them and conceded merely 43 runs in their 20 overs. Nicola Browne, Morna Nielsen and Frances Mackay also kept the Sri Lankan batsmen under pressure, with Browne and Mackay being the most expensive bowlers at three per over.
The New Zealand seamers rocked and choked the Sri Lankan batsmen, making use of the slightly moist conditions in the morning. Ruck and Tahuhu bowled in tandem; Ruck swung the ball without giving any room to the batsmen and Tahuhu made them uncomfortable with her pace and bounce. Tahuhu struck with her first ball, cleaning up Yasoda Mendis, who had played big knocks in Sri Lanka’s two victories in the first round. Lanka were pushed to the back foot with that as their runs dried up for the next few overs. Deepika Rasangika broke a few shackles when she loosened up for three consecutive fours on both sides of the pitch in Tahuhu’s third over. Chamari Atapattu, on the other hand, looked out of sorts, not able to open her account for 24 balls and was bowled by Ruck in the next over. Before Rasangika could swing her arms again, she was yorked by Tahuhu for 20. It soon became three wickets in three overs when the captain Shashikala Siriwardene flashed hard outside the off stump and Katie Perkins took a diving catch to her left at point, leaving Sri Lanka at 23 for 4. What followed was a drought of runs for Sri Lanka. They managed only three runs in the next six overs, which included four maidens – three alone from Ruck. Dilani Manodara and Sandamali Dolawatte faced roughed up by the seamers but they survived and took the score past 50 in the 22nd over. They could have been in a worse situation had the wicketkeeper Rachel Priest not dropped Dolawatte off Browne in the 18th over and not missed Manodara’s stumping in the 21st over. Manodara helped her team pick up the pace a little bit, driving and cutting Browne and left-arm orthodox Morna Nielsen for boundaries in consecutive overs.
SCORES: New Zealand 108 for 2 (Mackay 39*, Bates 37) beat Sri Lanka 103 (Tahuhu 4-27, Ruck 3-16) by eight wickets.
England lose to Australia in Women’s Cricket World Cup: England fell to an agonising two-run defeat by Australia that severely damages their chances of defending the Women’s World Cup. Last-wicket pair Anya Shrubsole and Holly Colvin looked on course to snatch England the most unlikely of wins, only for Colvin to be caught behind off Erin Osborne within one blow of victory. In pursuit of 148, England had earlier been reduced to 39-6, only for Lydia Greenway (49) and Laura Marsh to drag them back into the contest with a painstaking stand of 57.
