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Historic nine-wicket loss for White Ferns
SENZ • June 28th, 2023 8:37 am
The White Ferns have fallen to Sri Lanka for the first time in their history through a nine-wicket defeat in Galle, led by an impressive opening stand of 108 not out from Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu.
Rain had affected the start of the first ODI with play initially reduced to 29 overs each, before further weather delays dropped another over.
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine won the toss and elected to bat first, sending out Suzie Bates and the newly-contracted Bernadine Bezuidenhout – the latter was the first wicket to fall at 17/1, caught and bowled by left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari, followed by Bates on 28 runs and the innings poised at 77/2.
All-rounder Melie Kerr was the pick of the White Ferns’ bats, putting up 40 off 51 balls to steer her side to a respectable target under the conditions. Kerr was dismissed by Inoka Ranaweera who also ran out Devine (19 runs) and Maddy Green (38).
Georgia Plimmer (23) and Brooke Halliday (1) were at the crease as the 28 overs clicked over; Plimmer showed glimpses of what the teenager is capable of by providing some much-needed quick runs from the 25 balls faced.
With 170 on the board after New Zealand’s innings, the DLS method adjusted the scoreboard and Sri Lanka required 172 to win.
The only wicket to fall in the host’s inning came at the bowling of Devine, dismissing Vishmi Gunaratne on 50 as Halliday took the catch. The 159-run partnership between Athapaththu and Gunaratne is now the highest of any wicket for the Sri Lankan women’s team.
“They showed us how to bat on a wicket that was exceptionally good, so for us, tough day at the office, but I think there’s plenty there we can take some positives from and know that we have to build towards game two,” Devine said in her summary of the match.
“I think we just missed as a bowling unit. I don’t think we were too far off, when a player (Athapaththu) plays like that it’s pretty difficult, but we probably shied away from a couple of opportunities when we could have got at her a bit more.
“And that’s part of the learning of this group, being able to take the risks when someone’s batting the way that they are.”
The two sides will meet again for the second of three ODIs in Galle on Friday.
