Women’s ODI World Cup Preview | Sri Lanka go in search of first win in tournament against confident New Zealand

‌Sri Lanka Women will hope to keep their ODI World Cup campaign afloat when they meet a resurgent New Zealand at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday. The home side are still in search of its first win, with its solitary point coming from a washed-out encounter against Australia. Incidentally, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are the only sides without a win in this edition of the marquee event.

In their last match, Sri Lanka suffered an 89-run loss to England at the same venue on Saturday. The spin quartet of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean, Alice Capsey, and Linsey Smith picked up eight wickets between them to outplay the hosts, after skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt scored a run-a-ball century in the first innings.

Sri Lanka’s batting display has been below par in this World Cup, with Harshitha Samarawickrama being their top run-getter with 62 runs from two games. Meanwhile, Inoka Ranaweera’s impressive performance with the ball has been their only saving grace, as the left-arm spinner has picked up seven wickets from two matches at an average of 11.28 and a strike rate of 16.28.

On the other hand, New Zealand made up for its slow start in the tournament with a huge win over Bangladesh in their last game. The White Ferns, who lost their first two matches against Australia and South Africa, respectively, are currently placed fifth in the points table with two points. However, the Lankans are second from bottom in the eight-team competition.

Skipper Sophie Devine has been in excellent form with three 50-plus scores in three games, and tops the overall run charts in the current edition. The veteran all-rounder has 260 runs, including a century, at an average of 86.66, while pacers Lea Tahuhu and Jess Kerr have seven wickets from three games, and are joint third on the wicket-takers’ list.

Form Guide

SL W Form: L L L A L

NZ W Form: W W L L W

SL W vs NZ W head-to-head in ODIs

New Zealand are hot favourites against the island nation with a superior record of 13 wins in 16 matches. The Lankans have won twice, with one game ending without a result.

SL W 2 - 13 NZ W

Pitch and Conditions

The surface at the R Premadasa Stadium is expected to be slow and sluggish, as in the previous two games, with the spinners expected to play an important role in this game too. Both captains will look to bat first and post a competitive total on the board, and then try to put the other under pressure.    

It will be a cloudy afternoon in Colombo with rain expected throughout the contest. The temperature will be around 26 degrees, with chances of rain put at around 75%. 

Team News

New Zealand are expected to maintain its winning combination, while Sri Lanka may bring in pacer Achini Kulasuriya in place of left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari

SL W Expected XI

Hasini Perera, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani, Dewmi Vihanga, Achini Kulasuriya, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera.

NZ W Expected XI

Georgia Plimmer, Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson.

Broadcasting Platforms 

The SL W vs NZ W ODI World Cup match will be digitally streamed on the JioHotstar app and website in India from 3:00 PM IST on Tuesday, with live telecast on the Star Sports network.