Sri Lanka topple hosts as White Ferns eye Aussies
New Zealand can take sustenance ahead of their first game today against favourites Australia in the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup after Sri Lanka’s surprise win over hosts South Africa in yesterday’s opening match.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu hit 68 from 50 balls to set up a total of 129-4 after her team were put in to bat.
Sri Lanka’s bowling and fielding carried them home, though, with spinners Inoka Ranaweera, Oshadi Ranasinghe and Sugandika Kumari accounting for seven of the wickets as South Africa fell short on 126-9.
Athapaththu was a crucial leader with her performance with the bat but also for marshalling her bowlers and fielders in the tense final overs.
‘‘I always try and lead from the front,’’ Athapaththu said. ‘‘I try and be a role model for the team. We played good cricket today.’’
Athapaththu hit 12 fours in her half-century and put on a partnership of 82 off 62 balls with 17-year-old Vishmi Gunaratne, who made 35 off 34 batting at No. 3 and promises to be the next star of Sri Lankan women’s cricket after Athapaththu.
The defeat for South Africa was a bitter blow and came after a tumultuous buildup to their home tournament when captain and allrounder Dane van Niekerk, one of the world’s top players, was left out of the squad for the tournament for failing a fitness and conditioning test.
The White Ferns face defending champions Australia, who have won five of the seven T20 World Cups played, in Paarl in a match starting at 6am (NZT).
The Aussies are favoured to retain their title at the World Cup despite a surprise loss to Ireland in a warmup game this week, their first T20 defeat in nearly two years.
‘‘We come into this World Cup on level pegging with everybody else and we’re coming here to win and we know how difficult that is,’’ said Australia captain Meg Lanning, who has led her country to three of those World Cup titles.