Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr star in vital win for New Zealand
Leigh Kasperek also chipped in with the ball, setting up an important two points for New Zealand in a group where the race to the semi-finals is tight
Amelia Kerr finished with figures of 4-0-13-2, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Sharjah, October 12, 2024
New Zealand 118 for 2 (Plimmer 53, Kerr 34*) beat Sri Lanka 115 for 5 (Athapaththu 35, Kerr 2-13, Kasperek 2-27) by eight wickets
Georgia Plimmer’s 53 off 44 and an all-round show from Amelia Kerr secured a eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Sharjah, though the margin of victory was not enough to move New Zealand up to second; they remain third in Group A behind second-placed India on net run rate. For Sri Lanka, it’s a fourth defeat in four despite this being their best showing of the tournament with the bat; they finish bottom of the group.
Set a target of 116, Plimmer and Suzie Bates gave New Zealand the ideal start with a 49-run opening stand, before Kerr joined Plimmer for a 46-run partnership to put the result beyond doubt. Sophie Devine then put the boosters on to close out the chase, finishing the game with monster six over cow corner.
Kerr had earlier notched figures of 2 for 13, including the prize scalp of Chamari Athapaththu, as Sri Lanka were restricted to 115 for 5 in their 20 overs. Plimmer was named Player of the Match for breaking the spine of the chase, though Kerr’s impact cannot be overstated.
There were only four boundaries in Plimmer’s half-century but yet she ended her innings striking at 120. That was largely down to the learnings several sides are now internalizing about how to play on the low and slow tracks in Sharjah.
Georgia Plimmer set the pace in New Zealand’s chase, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Sharjah, October 12, 2024
Her innings was replete with 26 singles and four twos, as Sri Lanka’s bevy of spinners were negotiated expertly. This wasn’t death by killer blow, rather one by a thousand cuts. At the end of the power play New Zealand were 35 for no loss, just one more than Sri Lanka, but by the 10th over the run rate had risen to 6.9 per over.
Plimmer eventually fell holing out to deep midwicket, but at 95 for 2 at the end of the 15th over her work was largely done.
Athapaththu drives Sri Lanka’s best start
After three successive failures, Athapaththu finally managed to get some runs on the board, and with it provided Sri Lanka with their first good start of the tournament with the bat.
Chamari Athapaththu ably held up her end, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Sharjah, October 12, 2024
Her 35 came off 41 deliveries, not express by any means, but understandable considering the conditions in Sharjah as well as the shaken confidence of Sri Lanka’s batting unit. With the ball still holding up in the surface and keeping low, Athapaththu was forced to wait for the bad deliveries to notch any quick runs, with a couple of exquisite cover drives the pick of her five boundaries.
During her stay she put on stands of 26 and 48 with Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama, to give Sri Lanka their best powerplay of the tournament – 34 for 1, which in itself speaks towards Sri Lanka’s batting troubles – and left them on a decent platform of 57 for 1 at the halfway point of the innings.
Can’t keep Kerr out of the game
With the Athapaththu-Samarawickrama partnership blossoming, a pair of boundaries off Eden Carson and Lea Tahuhu in the 12th and 13th overs signaled Sri Lanka’s intent to up the scoring rate. Enter Amelia Kerr.
Amelia Kerr followed up her 2 for 13 with 34 not out off 31, New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, Sharjah, October 12, 2024
Amelia Kerr followed up her 2 for 13 with 34 not out off 31•ICC/Getty Images
The leg spinner was coming of the back of a four-for in her last game, but here she had to wait until her third over to make any significant impact. But what an impact that was as, following a period of concerted pressure, Athapaththu looked to drag one over cow corner from outside off only to find her off stump knocked back.
That wicket in hindsight was the first thread to come loose in Sri Lanka’s unravelling. At the fall of Athapaththu’s wicket Sri Lanka had 74 runs on the board and a little over six overs left in the innings – but they were just unable to push on from there, spluttering to 115 for 5 by the end of the innings.
Kerr was a major factor in this as her four overs gave up just 13 runs and also included the wicket of the dangerous Kavisha Dilhari. And if Sri Lanka thought they’d seen the last of her, she struck an unbeaten 34 off 31 with the bat to ensure the win that she herself had set up.
Sri Lanka Women (20 ovs maximum)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Vishmi Gunaratne
b Carson
8 15 18 1 0 53.33
Chamari Athapaththu (c)
b Kerr
35 41 52 5 0 85.36
Harshitha Samarawickrama
c Kerr b Kasperek
18 29 38 1 0 62.06
Kavisha Dilhari
lbw b Kerr
10 9 17 1 0 111.11
Anushka Sanjeewani †
c Devine b Kasperek
5 7 8 0 0 71.42
Nilakshika Silva
not out 14 11 16 1 0 127.27
Ama Kanchana
not out 10 9 11 0 0 111.11
Extras (b 4, lb 2, nb 1, w 8) 15
Total
20 Ov
(RR: 5.75)
115/5
Did not bat:
Sugandika Kumari,
Sachini Nisansala,
Inoshi Priyadharshani,
Udeshika Prabodhani
Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Vishmi Gunaratne, 3.3 ov), 2-74 (Chamari Athapaththu, 13.3 ov), 3-76 (Harshitha Samarawickrama, 14.2 ov), 4-89 (Anushka Sanjeewani, 16.1 ov), 5-97 (Kavisha Dilhari, 17.1 ov) •
DRS
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s 4s 6s WD NB
Rosemary Mair
4 0 17 0 4.25 14 0 0 3 1
Eden Carson
4 0 19
1
4.75 12 2 0 1 0
Lea Tahuhu
2 0 15 0 7.50 6 2 0 3 0
Leigh Kasperek
4 0 27
2
6.75 9 3 0 0 0
Amelia Kerr
4 0 13
2
3.25 12 0 0 0 0
Sophie Devine
2 0 18 0 9.00 3 2 0 1 0
New Zealand Women (T: 116 runs from 20 ovs)
Batting R B M 4s 6s SR
Suzie Bates
b Nisansala
17 22 28 1 0 77.27
Georgia Plimmer
c Silva b Athapaththu
53 44 58 4 0 120.45
Amelia Kerr
not out 34 31 42 3 0 109.67
Sophie Devine (c)
not out 13 8 12 0 1 162.50
Extras (b 1) 1
Total
17.3 Ov
(RR: 6.74)
118/2
Did not bat:
Brooke Halliday,
Maddy Green,
Isabella Gaze †,
Leigh Kasperek,
Lea Tahuhu,
Rosemary Mair,
Eden Carson
Fall of wickets: 1-49 (Suzie Bates, 7.3 ov), 2-95 (Georgia Plimmer, 14.5 ov) •
DRS
Bowling O M R W ECON 0s 4s 6s WD NB
Sugandika Kumari
3.3 0 23 0 6.57 8 1 1 0 0
Udeshika Prabodhani
3 0 17 0 5.66 6 1 0 0 0
Inoshi Priyadharshani
2 0 20 0 10.00 3 2 0 0 0
Kavisha Dilhari
2 0 21 0 10.50 2 3 0 0 0
Sachini Nisansala
4 0 24
1
6.00 6 1 0 0 0
Chamari Athapaththu
2 0 8
1
4.00 5 0 0 0 0
Ama Kanchana
1 0 4 0 4.00 2 0 0 0 0