New Zealand women cricket team’s experienced campaigner Suzie Bates created history with her half-century against Sri Lanka at P Sara Oval, Colombo on July 10. Bates became the first woman to hit a T20I fifty in 10 different countries. The White Ferns batter has a T20I fifty in New Zealand, England, West Indies, South Africa, UAE, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Ireland and Sri Lanka. She surpassed West Indies' Stafanie Taylor who has a T20I fifty in nine different countries.
This was Bates' 26th half-century in T20Is, the most by any woman in the format. Her half-century helped New Zealand win by eight wickets in the second T20I and take an unassailable lead in three-T20I series.
Earlier New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine won the toss and opted to field first. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu got run out for a single-digit score in the third over. In the next over Vishmi Gunaratne got bowled by Lea Tahuhu. In the same over, Tahuhu got Kavisha Dilhari out for a two-ball duck. From 14/3, Harshitha Madavi and Hasini Perera shared a crucial partnership of 47 runs for the fourth wicket. However, they could not score at a brisk pace.
The partnership was broken by Tahuhu in the 14th over. Perera scored 33 runs from 36 balls including three fours. Madavi could not convert it into a big score either. She lost her wicket to Eden Carson. The 25-year-old scored 23 runs from 28 balls. Nilakshi de Silva contributed with a 23-ball 22. She was dismissed by Tahuhu off the penultimate ball of the innings. Wicketkeeper-batter Anushka Sanjeewani provided a much-needed boost with her 13-ball 18 cameo to help Sri Lanka post 118/6. Tahuhu bagged a four-fer conceding 21 runs from her quota of four overs.
New Zealand's run chase got off to a decent start. Bernadine Bezuidenhout and Bates shared a 48-run partnership. Dilhari got the breakthrough as she got Bezuidenhout stumped. The opener scored 24 runs from 21 balls. The Melie Kerr joined Bates in the middle. The opener got to her half-century but could not finish the game. Inoka Ranaweera broke the 59-run partnership for the second wicket in the 17th over. Bates scored 52 runs from 53 balls including six fours. Kerr remained unbeaten for a run-a-ball 33 as New Zealand chased down the total with eight balls left in the innings.
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