Sri Lanka, New Zealand split points after rain washes out Women's World Cup match in Colombo

Colombo: Sri Lanka and New Zealand shared points as their Women’s World Cup match was abandoned due to persistent rain after a strong batting performance by the hosts here on Tuesday.

Opting to bat, Nilakshika De Silva’s belligerent fifty was the perfect antithesis to skipper Chamari Athapaththu’s graceful half-century as Sri Lanka posted a challenging 258 for 6.

However, rain lashed the R Premadasa Stadium just before New Zealand began their chase and the match could not resume from that point.

It was a disappointing outcome for Sri Lanka, who remained in search of their first win of the tournament. They looked in control for large parts of the match and had a genuine opportunity to seal victory.

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“We assessed the conditions and played good cricket. Unfortunately, we can’t complete the game. Next game is crucial. We need to win three games. Hope we can play without any rain,” Athapaththu said after the game.

After the washout, Sri Lanka continued to stay at the seventh place, having collected 2 points from four games while New Zealand, who now have 3 points, were static at number five on the table.

The result is also a huge blow for New Zealand, who have already copped two losses, in the race to the semifinal.

“Shame the weather kept us off, we were excited for the chase. Stats and numbers can only go that far. Sometimes it is about gut,” New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine said.

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“It’s really about manipulating match-ups. Another experience and opportunity for our bowlers to go out there against Sri Lanka. It is about re-adjusting and moving on,” she added.

This is the second World Cup game that has been washed out with Sri Lanka’s fixture against Australia abandoned last week because of rain here.

Earlier, Athapaththu (53 off 72 balls) was all class during her knock, stroking seven fours in an innings marked by control and elegance.

Nilakshika (55 not out off 28 balls), on the other hand, provided the final flourish with the fastest fifty of the ongoing edition tournament, whacking as many as seven boundaries all over the ground and a six.

Together with the young Vishmi Gunaratne (42), Athapaththu laid a solid foundation with a 101-run opening partnership. Hasini Perera also chipped in with a valuable 44.

Athapaththu got going in style, unfurling a gorgeous cover drive off the second ball of the innings before threading another through extra cover, signalling her intent to bat deep.

Seeking their first win of the tournament, Sri Lanka opted to bat first and made a tactical tweak at the top, promoting 20-year-old Gunaratne to open alongside her captain, a move that paid early dividends.

The pair made full use of the fielding restrictions in the power play, amassing 52 without loss in the first 10 overs.

The White Ferns, however, were far from their sharp self in the field, dropping both openers on multiple occasions, fumbling run-out opportunities, and being guilty of several misfields that only compounded their frustration.

But they clawed their way back into the contest after the power play, tightening their lines and drying up the boundaries.

Athapaththu cut Devine away for a boundary and then chipped into the gap at mid-wicket for two to bring up her 20th ODI fifty.

But Devine soon had her revenge, taking the pace off the ball to deceive the Sri Lankan skipper, who found Maddy Green lurking at deep cover.

With the run-rate stagnating, Gunaratne, who hit three boundaries during her 83-ball stay in the middle, tried to break free but was cleaned up by Rosemary Mair.

Perera (44) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (26) steadied the innings with a 58-run stand.

But just as Sri Lanka looked poised to accelerate, New Zealand sparked a mini-collapse, dismissing Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari (4), and Perera in quick succession, stalling the momentum once again before Nilakshika’s cameo, which included three boundaries in the final over bowled by Devine.