New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka Women Prediction: A must-win game for both teams

The ICC Women’s World Cup is heading into the knockout stage at this point and from here on, a loss is going to peg a team back. The opening game saw a huge upset but since then the favorites have prevailed rather comfortably. As we head deeper in the tournament, the quality of battle will only spring up and no team can afford big mistakes(looking at Ireland). So, how will it shape up when a desperate New Zealand takes on a dreamy Sri Lanka?

New Zealand comes into the game after a statement win to defeat the Bangladeshi team by 71 runs. This was the first win of the tournament and has put the White Ferns right back into the contention for a Semi-Final spot, but they have a long distance to cover. Batting first, Suzie Bates neutralized Bangladeshi players including a highly penetrative Marufa Akter. Bernadine Bezuindenhot went toe-to-toe with Bates and smoked 44 of just 26 balls, and when she was claimed by Shorna Akter, New Zealand had a solid base, scoring 77 runs within 9 overs. From there on, Amelia Kerr and Sophie Devine were gone early, however, power-hitter Maddy Green collected 44 in just 20 balls. Suzie Bates finished with a rollicking 81 of 61 and New Zealand finished with 189 runs.

Such a big total is too big for the batting lineup of Bangladesh and early wickets were not going to help their cause. Shamima Sultana looked dangerous but fell for just 14 whereas Sobhana Mostary was sent packing early too, both falling to a precise Hannah Rowe. Nigar Sultana fell to Amelia Kerr and the Bangladeshi outfit needed a humungous 130+ runs in under 11 overs at that point. Murshida Khatun and Sorna Akter formed a 46 runs partnership in just 32 balls but the required rate had already gotten out of control. After Shorna fell, Bangladesh also fell in quick succession. Both Khatum and Sorna made around 30 each but that wasn’t going to be enough. Eden Carson picked three wickets, Rowe picked up two, Lea Tahuhu and Kerr shared one each.

Sri Lanka enters the fray after losing by 10 wickets against Australia. After a stunning first game upset win and then a big statement win against Bangaldesh, they were brought back to Earth by the perpetual dream-shatterers Australia. Batting first, they looked decent in the start but had the rusty. The top three put up 69 runs, although they took 80 balls to do it. Once Harshita Samarwickrama fell after making 34 runs in 40 balls, the pressure to quick runs translated into quick wickets. Vishmi Gunaratne played a decent hand, scoring 24 runs in 33 balls, but excerpt of Nikalshi de Silva’s strong cameo of 15 runs in seven balls, there wasn’t much to peek in the scorecard of Sri Lanka, which made just 112 runs.

Such a total against a towering Australian team is never enough and it turned out to be the case here. The Australian batters showed tremendous poise and kept an amazing balance between running and boundaries. The team didn’t lose a single wicket and the threatening opening duo of Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney put up 113 runs in around 16 Overs. Mooney made 56 in 53 balls while Healy made 54 in 43. Three bowlers kept it quiet giving six runs an over or below, namely Sugandika Kumari, Chamari Athapaththu and Maldsha Shehani, but the target was too low in the end.

• Expected Leading Wicket-Takers: Lea Tahuhu(1+ wicket), Hannah Rowe(1+ wicket), Eden Carson(1+ wicket);
• Expected Leading Run Scorers: Suzie Bates(30+ Runs), Chamari Athapaththu (24+ Runs).

Sri Lankan top-order has showed some strong chops but the team has missed the killer-edge to finish big. This plays right into the hand of New Zealand taht has a quality bowling upfront and a spin unit that can tie down in the middle. Batting-wise, after two shoddy display, New Zealand batters finally lived up the promise and will fancy their chances here after garnering some momentum. Although Sri Lanka has sprung up a surprise before, I expect New Zealand to get an easy win here.