Southampton, June 16 (IANS) Nilakshika Silva produced a match-winning unbeaten half-century, after Sri Lanka’s bowlers delivered a superb collective effort, to script a five-wicket victory over defending champions New Zealand in a thrilling seventh match in Group 2 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday.

Chasing 151, Sri Lanka stayed calm in a tense finish. Silva was not out on 54 and teamed up with Kaushani Nuthyangana, who scored 24, in a partnership worth 48 runs that brought the Asian side home with one ball left.

This was Sri Lanka’s first win in the tournament and dealt another serious blow to New Zealand, whose title defense is falling apart.

Sri Lanka’s chase started well with captain Chamari Athapaththu leading the attack. After getting a second chance on seven, she punished New Zealand by hitting 27 off just 19 balls before getting bowled in the final over of the Powerplay.

Her wicket sparked a sudden collapse as New Zealand fought back into the game. Vishmi Gunaratne scored 17, Harshitha Samarawickrama made 5, and Hasini Perera was out for 2, causing Sri Lanka to drop from a strong position of 45/1 to 55/4.

With the innings in jeopardy, Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshi de Silva calmly built a critical 50-run partnership. Dilhari added 17 before being run out in the 15th over, leaving Sri Lanka needing a steady hand to finish the job.

De Silva took on that role, leading the chase effectively. Needing 16 runs from the last two overs, she and Nuthyangana picked up the pace just right, scoring 11 runs in the 19th over and leaving only five needed from the final six balls.

The duo showed great composure under pressure and helped Sri Lanka cross the finish line with one delivery to spare, securing a memorable win.

Earlier, New Zealand scored 150/6 after deciding to bat first. Their innings faced an early blow when Isabella Gaze was out for 4 in the opening over. Georgia Plimmer (18) and captain Amelia Kerr then worked together to rebuild through a 49-run partnership before Plimmer got out.

Kerr continued to lead and made 45 before being caught in the deep in the 13th over. New Zealand seemed set for a bigger total when Sophie Devine began to fight back, but Sri Lanka’s bowlers applied constant pressure. Devine played well for her 45 before getting out late in the innings, while Maddy Green remained not out on 18 as the White Ferns finished at 150/6.

Sri Lanka’s bowling performance was disciplined, with five of the six bowlers picking up wickets. Kavisha Dilhari stood out with figures of 2 for 35 from her four overs as Sri Lanka consistently broke New Zealand’s rhythm and stopped them from scoring more.

After holding the defending champions to 150/6 and then completing a tense chase thanks to de Silva’s unbeaten 54, Sri Lanka celebrated a win that could be vital for their World Cup run.

Brief scores:

New Zealand 150/6 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 45, Melie Kerr 45; Kavisha Dilhari 2-35) lost to Sri Lanka 153/5 in 19.4 overs (Nilakshika Silva 54 not out, Chamari Athapaththu 27; Nensi Patel 2-23) by five wickets

–IANS

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