Rain washed out a potentially thrilling contest between Sri Lanka and New Zealand at the Women’s ODI World Cup in Colombo on Tuesday, forcing the teams to share a point each. After being put in to bat, Sri Lanka posted 258 for six, their highest-ever ODI total against the White Ferns, powered by a half-century from Nilakshika Silva. However, persistent rain arrived during the innings break and never relented, abandoning the match without a single ball bowled in the second innings.
Sri Lanka’s innings was built on a series of steady partnerships. Captain Chamari Athapaththu, 53 and Vishmi Gunaratne, 42 put on a 101-run stand for the first wicket, laying a solid platform. After their dismissals, Hasini Perera contributed a valuable 44 to keep the scoreboard moving through the middle overs, setting the stage for a late acceleration.
The real impetus for Sri Lanka came from Nilakshika Silva, who launched a late assault on the New Zealand bowlers. She smashed an unbeaten 55 from just 28 balls, bringing up her half-century in 26 balls; the fastest of the tournament so far. Her explosive hitting, which included seven fours and a six, helped Sri Lanka plunder 80 runs from the final 10 overs and post a competitive total.
For New Zealand, captain Sophie Devine was the most successful bowler with figures of three for 54, though she also proved expensive. The White Ferns were let down by a sloppy performance in the field, dropping several catches and fumbling multiple run-out and stumping opportunities which proved costly and allowed Sri Lanka to build momentum throughout their innings.
Both captains expressed their frustration with the weather-enforced result. "We played good cricket and I am really happy about our batting performance," said Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu. "The score was a good one to defend but I feel we missed another 20 or 25 runs." New Zealand's Sophie Devine added, "It’s a shame the weather has had to play its part in it, as it was going to be a really good chase and we were excited, but that’s the way it has had to be."
