Silva, bowlers stun New Zealand to seal memorable win for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka pulled off a famous upset victory against New Zealand, successfully chasing down a modest target of 151 on a sluggish track in Southampton. Despite a middle-order collapse that saw them slip to a precarious 55 for 4, Sri Lanka's resilient lower-order - spearheaded by Nilakshika Silva's brilliant 54 not out and a finishing cameo from Kaushani Nuthyangana - steered the chase home in the final over. Earlier, a disciplined bowling display had shackled the top order of the defending champions, before Sophie Devine's counter-attacking 45 propelled them to 150.

Despite the loss in the opening game, New Zealand opted for continuity in their lineup, persisting with Georgia Plimmer ahead of the veteran Suzie Bates. However, the move failed to yield the desired dividends. Following Izzy Gaze's cheap dismissal, Plimmer found herself shackled by a disciplined bowling attack, struggling to inject urgency into the Powerplay. This early stagnation never allowed New Zealand any momentum even though skipper Amelia Kerr initially got going with back-to-back boundaries off Mithali Ayodhya.

The mounting pressure of these sedate opening overs ultimately proved to be Plimmer's undoing. Attempting to cut a short delivery from Nimasha Meepage, she sent an outside edge directly to short third. The dismissal severed a 49-run partnership - statistically New Zealand's best on the day, yet one that severely compromised their momentum, having consumed a costly 46 deliveries.

Devine's arrival at the crease instantly injected much-needed momentum. The scoreboard began to tick instantly as the former captain opened her account with a crisp boundary. Alongside Kerr, Devine spearheaded the recovery with the third-wicket pair plundering 43 runs in a mere 26 balls.

Just as New Zealand looked poised to dominate, Kavisha Dilhari struck a double blow. In quick succession, Dilhari accounted for both the well-set Kerr and Brooke Halliday, derailing the middle order. Devine was forced to rebuild yet again, finding an able ally in Maddy Green. The duo built a brief partnership, dismantling the opposition for 30 runs across three overs. Yet, the need for acceleration proved fatal. Immediately after launching the only six of the New Zealand innings, Devine perished for 45.

Devine's departure effectively broke the back of the New Zealand finish. Capitalising on the breakthrough, Sri Lanka clinically squeezed the lower order during the death overs. On a surface that played arguably slower than New Zealand's previous outing at the venue, Sri Lanka restrcited them to a modest 150.

Sri Lanka made a bright start to the chase, capitalising on the momentum gained at the backend of their bowling innings. Chamari Athapaththu led the way with an aggressive, 19-ball cameo of 27 that included four boundaries and a six. She targeted Jess Kerr particularly hard before Bree Illing provided New Zealand with a much-needed breakthrough to end the enterprising opening stand.

However, Sri Lanka unraveled against spin once the fielding restrictions were lifted. Nensi Patel took just five balls to make an impact, dismissing the other set opener for 17 off 19 deliveries before she could accelerate. Amelia then ran out Hasini Perera, who called for a second run but was beaten by a direct hit from the New Zealand captain. Harshitha Samarawickrama then dragged a delivery onto her stumps, giving Nensi her second wicket in as many overs and leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 55/4.

While a collapse of 4 for 10 could have proved fatal to their upset hopes, the fifth-wicket pair stepped up. Nilakshika Silva joined Kavisha Dilhari to stitch together a crucial 50-run stand that put Sri Lanka back in business. Their resurgence coincided with the return of pace, as the duo picked off a boundary each against Devine to get the runs flowing again. Silva consistently found the rope, maintaining her composure even after losing Dilhari to a run-out just as their fifty partnership was raised.

Illing and Amelia Kerr both proved expensive in their respective final overs, leaking a couple of boundaries each to bring the equation down to 16 off the last 12 deliveries. Silva raised her half-century off 33 balls, and Kaushani Nuthyangana struck a boundary immediately after to reduce the ask to 5 runs off the final over. Devine dragged the contest down to the final three balls, but Nuthyangana - capping off a brilliant day behind the stumps - hit the winning boundary amidst worsening rain to secure a famous victory for Sri Lanka.

Brief scores: New Zealand 150/6 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 45, Amelia Kerr 45; Kavisha Dilhari 2-35) lost to Sri Lanka 153/5 in 19.4 overs (Nilakshika Silva 54*, Chaamri Athapaththu 27, Kaushani Nuthyangana 24*; Nensi Patel 2-23) by 5 wickets