Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Nilakshika Silva stars with unbeaten 54 as Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by five wickets

In a classic run-chase thriller, Sri Lanka claimed a five wicket win over New Zealand in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 clash on Tuesday, June 16 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. It was Nilakshika Silva's match-winning inning that led Sri Lanka claim two important points in the tournament after losing their opening game against England.

Bad toss to win

Winning the toss, New Zealand skipper Amelia Kerr opted to bat first against Sri Lanka. However, the decision turned out to be a little costly, as the White Ferns didn't get the desired start. The opening duo of Isabella Gaze and Georgia Plimmer could not provide a solid foundation to the middle-order batters, as they got out cheaply on 4 off 3 and 18 off 22.

Captain Amelia came out to bat at No.3 and steadied the innings with Sophie Devine in the middle. Kerr missed her half-century by just five runs, losing her wicket after scoring 45 off 36 balls, smashing five fours. While Sophie also got removed on 45 runs off Sugandika Kumari's delivery. During her stay at the crease, Devine managed to hit four boundaries and three sixes.

After Devine and Kerr's dismissal, there wasn't any significant contribution from the lower-order other than Maddy Green's 18 off 13. Riding on their efforts, New Zealand managed to post 150-6 after the end of their allotted 20 overs. For Sri Lanka, Kavisha Dilhari was the best bowler, finishing the game with the figures of 2/35.

Brilliant show from Sri Lanka

In response, Sri Lanka displayed a reliable batting effort. Their star opener Chamari Athapaththu got off to a fiery start, scoring 27 off 19 balls with the help of four boundaries and one six before losing her wicket off Bree Illing's bowling. Chamari managed to clock a strike rate of 142.11. On the other hand, Vishmi Gunaratne, managed to amass only 17 off 19.

After the departure of both openers, Sri Lanka endured a mini collapse, as Harshitha Samarawickrama and Hasini Perera lost their wickets in quick succession. However, Nilakshika Silva and Kaushani Nuthyangana played match winning knocks of unbeaten 54 off 37 and 24 not out off just 14 respectively to seal the game for Sri Lanka by five wickets.