Women’s T20 WC: ‘It was a must-win game for us’, says Athapaththu after victory over NZ

Southampton, June 16 (IANS) Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu described her side’s five-wicket win over defending champions New Zealand as a “must-win” result but insisted there is no room for complacency despite defeating one of the favourites for the Women’s T20 World Cup title.

Nilakshi de Silva scored an unbeaten 54, and Kaushani Nuthyangana made a steady 24 not out as Sri Lanka chased down New Zealand’s 150/6 with one ball left. This marked their first victory of the tournament.

Athapaththu emphasised the importance of this result for Sri Lanka’s chances in the competition. She commended her batting team for sticking to their plans under pressure. “I think it’s a good win. It was a must-win game for us, or we would not have had a chance. As a team and batting unit, we executed our plans well. Nilakshi played excellently today. Kaushani is not in her best form, but she contributed well alongside Nilakshi.”

Sri Lanka’s win not only relied on de Silva’s crucial knock but also on solid fielding. They kept New Zealand to 150/6 after the White Ferns looked set for a much higher score. Kavisha Dilhari led the bowling with figures of 2 for 35, while the fielders made several sharp plays.

Athapaththu praised the improvement from months of hard work. “Our fielding unit, especially thanks to our fielding coach’s efforts over the past six months, has improved a lot. We used to struggle in the field, but today we were much better. Our fielding unit performed well.”

Sri Lanka’s bowlers managed to pull New Zealand back after Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine threatened to take control. Both scored 45 runs, but key wickets kept the White Ferns from going beyond 150.

The chase was not easy. Athapaththu hit 27 off 19 balls after being dropped on seven, but Sri Lanka fell from 45/1 to 55/4. De Silva and Kavisha Dilhari then steadied the innings. After Dilhari’s run-out for 17, de Silva and Nuthyangana formed an unbeaten 48-run partnership to secure the win.

Despite the importance of the result, Athapaththu noted that beating the reigning world champions means little if Sri Lanka does not uphold their performance in upcoming matches. “Every game is crucial for us. I know New Zealand is one of the best teams in this tournament. They are the world champions and favourites, so beating New Zealand doesn’t mean we can relax. We need to execute our plans properly. That is key.”

While she enjoyed the win, the Sri Lankan captain also pointed out areas for improvement. “We still need to work on a few things as a team, especially our batting. We lost a few wickets in the middle part of the innings. We also need to improve a bit in our bowling.”

–IANS

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