Sri Lanka Women produced a composed and historic chase to defeat New Zealand Women by five wickets in the 7th match of Group B at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. Chasing 151 at The Rose Bowl in Southampton on, they reached 153/5 in 19.4 overs to record their first-ever win over the defending champions in the tournament.
New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat, but lost early momentum when Isabella Gaze fell for 4 in the first over. Melie Kerr and Georgia Plimmer steadied the innings with a 49-run stand. Kerr played fluently for 45 off 36 balls before Sri Lanka struck back in the middle overs.
Sophie Devine then provided the momentum with an aggressive 45 off 30 balls that included four fours and a six. However, Sri Lanka’s bowlers, led by Kavisha Dilhari’s 2/35, kept taking regular wickets. New Zealand finished at 150/6, with Maddy Green unbeaten on 18. The total looked defendable on a slowing pitch, but poor fielding would prove costly later.
Sri Lanka complete clinical chase
Sri Lanka started their chase positively, reaching 45/1 in the powerplay. Chamari Athapaththu made 27, but New Zealand fought back with two quick wickets from Nensi Patel to reduce the visitors to 55 for 4.
The game turned when Nilakshika Silva joined Kavisha Dilhari. The pair added 50 runs for the fifth wicket to take Sri Lanka to 105. After Dilhari fell for 17, 24-year-old Kaushini Nuthyangana joined Silva. Their unbroken 48-run partnership proved decisive.
Silva played with maturity and power, finishing unbeaten on 54 off 37 balls. Nuthyangana remained not out on 24 off 14 balls. Sri Lanka needed just five runs off the final over and sealed the win with two balls to spare. New Zealand dropped at least three catches, including a sitter when Silva was on 1, a moment that proved expensive.
Nilakshika Silva stars as Player of the Match
Nilakshika Silva was the standout performer and was named Player of the Match for her unbeaten half-century under pressure. Her calm approach and ability to rotate strike and find boundaries when needed anchored the innings perfectly.
For New Zealand, both Melie Kerr and Sophie Devine scored 45, but their efforts were overshadowed by the fielding lapses and Sri Lanka’s superior running between the wickets in the death overs.
Captains reflect on the result
Chamari Athapaththu praised her team’s execution: “It is a good win, because it was a must-win for us. As a team, as a batting unit, we executed our plans. Nilakshika played well, and the youngster Nuthyangana as well, she has not been in good form but did the job today… NZ is one of the best teams and the world champions, and the tournament favourites. We beat them, and it means we can beat anyone in the comp.”
New Zealand captain Amelia Kerr admitted fielding was the difference. “We had enough runs, but today, it was again the fielding that let us down. They ran really well between the wickets too and that partnership at the end… Still three games to go… We have to pick ourselves up.”