A strong New Zealand A women’s unit has put a feather in their caps by beating Sri Lanka Women in the visitors’ opening one-day match of their maiden bilateral tour at Lincoln’s Bert Sutcliffe Oval.
Scorecard
In Canterbury sunshine, Sri Lanka took first use of the deck to put up 204/9 in their 50 overs — an innings characterised by partnerships broken just as players had built themselves a start.
Opening batsman Chamari Atapattu, equipped with a 30+ average in One-Day Internationals, got the innings off a healthy enough start. She carved five boundaries in her 39-ball 35 before her dismissal in the 15th over slowed the Sri Lankans’ momentum.
Offbreak bowler Frances Mackay had done the damage, trapping the 25-year-old left-hander en route to an ultimate bag of 3-30 off her ten.
Thamsyn Newton, the WHITE FERNS’ fresh face, backed up to have first drop Prasadani Weerakkody caught a couple of overs later, while 21-year-old number four Nipuni Hansika was removed caught and bowled by Georgia Guy in the 31st over, after scratching out 23.
Thamsyn Newton
It was left to the experienced Dilani Manodara (Surangika) to add some impetus with a 57-ball 41, before Mackay struck again and, with Newton, all but cleaned up the tail.
Coming to her team’s rescue at the death had been captain Shashikala Siriwardene, who had retired hurt on one in the 19th over and returned with the score at 173/5 at the end of the 43rd.
Siriwardene was run out in a scramble off the last ball of the innings — but not before she had added a valuable 29 to help give her side’s total some punch.
Despite an early breakthrough with the wicket of Mackay, Sri Lanka would make few inroads into defending their tally, however.
Fellow opener Sam Curtis and Natalie Dodd combined for a 67-run stand for the second wicket before a run out claimed Dodd. At 88/2 the platform was built, and 30-year-old Curtis underpinned the innings by carrying her bat to an unbeaten 93 (8 x 4), allowing first Katey Martin (a run-a-ball 31) then Suzie McDonald (an unbeaten 33 off 39) to free their arms as New Zealand Women A ticked off the target with 5.3 overs to spare.
Sri Lanka meet the WHITE FERNS in the historic first One-Day International at the same venue on Tuesday.
