Silva, bowlers stun New Zealand to seal memorable win for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka pulled off a famous upset victory against New Zealand, successfully chasing down a modest target of 151 on a sluggish track in Southampton. Despite a middle-order collapse that saw them slip to 55 for 4, Sri Lanka's resilient lower-order – spearheaded by Nilakshika Silva's brilliant 54 not out and a finishing cameo from Kaushani Nuthyangana – steered the chase home in the final over.

Earlier, a disciplined bowling display shackled the top order of the defending champions, before Sophie Devine's counter-attacking 45 propelled them to 150.

New Zealand opted for continuity in their lineup, persisting with Georgia Plimmer ahead of Suzie Bates. Following Izzy Gaze's cheap dismissal, Plimmer found herself shackled by a disciplined bowling attack, struggling to inject urgency into the Powerplay. This early stagnation never allowed New Zealand momentum.

The mounting pressure proved to be Plimmer's undoing. Attempting to cut a short delivery from Nimasha Meepage, she sent an outside edge to short third. The dismissal severed a 49-run partnership – New Zealand's best on the day, yet one that consumed a costly 46 deliveries.

Devine's arrival injected momentum. Alongside Amelia Kerr, the third-wicket pair plundered 43 runs in 26 balls. Just as New Zealand looked poised to dominate, Kavisha Dilhari struck a double blow, accounting for both Kerr and Brooke Halliday in quick succession.

Devine rebuilt with Maddy Green, but perished for 45 immediately after launching the only six of the innings. Sri Lanka clinically squeezed the lower order during the death overs, restricting New Zealand to 150.

Sri Lanka made a bright start to the chase. Chamari Athapaththu led with an aggressive 19-ball cameo of 27, targeting Jess Kerr hard before Bree Illing provided the breakthrough.

However, Sri Lanka unraveled against spin once fielding restrictions were lifted. Nensi Patel dismissed the other set opener, Amelia ran out Hasini Perera, and Harshitha Samarawickrama dragged onto her stumps, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 55/4.

Nilakshika Silva joined Dilhari to stitch together a crucial 50-run stand. Their resurgence coincided with the return of pace, as the duo picked off boundaries to get the runs flowing again. Silva maintained her composure even after losing Dilhari to a run-out.

Illing and Kerr both proved expensive in their final overs, bringing the equation down to 16 off the last 12 deliveries. Silva raised her half-century off 33 balls, and Nuthyangana struck a boundary to reduce the ask to 5 runs off the final over. Nuthyangana hit the winning boundary amidst worsening rain to secure a famous victory.

Brief scores: New Zealand 150/6 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 45, Amelia Kerr 45; Kavisha Dilhari 2-35) lost to Sri Lanka 153/5 in 19.4 overs (Nilakshika Silva 54*, Chamari Athapaththu 27, Kaushani Nuthyangana 24*; Nensi Patel 2-23) by 5 wickets