SL vs NZ 3rd ODI: Chamari Athapaththu Leads From The Front, SL Secures First Series-win Over NZ In Any Format

SL vs NZ: After having settled the points table to 1-1, the Sri Lankan team was led from the front by captain Chamari Athapaththu, as she helped them bag their first-ever series win over New Zealand in any international format.

As the two teams were off for the Championship tussle, Sri Lanka successfully bagged the ODI series against New Zealand, leading 2-1. The final game, although distorted by rain, was finally brought to a sound end, with Athapaththu’s tireless efforts. New Zealand on the other hand, was off to a poor start and had to settle for a loss.

The game at Galle International Stadium was all set for the 3^rd ODI game with a few stormy clouds. The toss was won by New Zealand who decided to bat given the dewy circumstances.

READ MORE: SL vs NZ: Sri Lanka Scripts History By Winning A Rain-Affected 1st ODI Over NZ

Bernadine Bezuidenhout and Suzie Bates opened bat as usual. Bates held ground for a considerable number of overs while Bezuidenhout was lost early by Dilhari’s brilliant stumping skills. Next, the team lost Amelia Kerr, who was bowled by Oshadi Ranasinghe. Bates, who was then joined by captain Sophie Devine, continued the play. The two were able to secure some steady runs for the team as Suzie Bates batted for 68 runs in 87 deliveries. Sophie Devine also did a brilliant job with bat in hand as she secured some steady runs.

Rain distorted play, yet again and the two teams had to leave the field for quite some time. Considering the time limit, the first inning was brought to a conclusion at 31 overs, the team securing 127 at a loss of 2. According to the DLS, the Sri Lankan team had to chase 196 runs in 29 deliveries to win the game.

A huge score to chase in limited overs and the changing weather conditions were indeed tasks for the team. With two consistent wickets from Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama, the team was at 6/2 in the 4^th over of the SL vs NZ 3rd ODI.

Chamari Athapaththu, played a heroic inning, holding ground and securing huge shots, in order to secure the required runs for the team on time. She played at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 175, securing 140 runs in just 80 deliveries. Miraculous inning from the star of Sri Lanka. Leading from the front, Chamari was assisted by Nilakshi De Silva who too, held ground and batted for 48 runs in all.

An inning to remember for the Sri Lankan team. Great contribution from the captain herself in the SL vs NZ 3rd ODI, restoring the team’s hope in times of difficulty, where everything seems impossible.

READ MORE: SL vs NZ 2nd ODI: Sophie Devine, Amelia Kerr Assist New Zealand To Level The Series Against Sri Lanka

Lea Tahuhu and Sophie Devine picked a single wicket each and the NZ bowling side seemed devastated against Athapaththu’s class batting performance.

With this, Sri Lanka won the game by 8 wickets and with 13 deliveries in hand. Sri Lanka also won the first-ever series against New Zealand by securing 2 out of 3 ODI games. The two teams will now assemble for the upcoming T20I series.

SL vs NZ 3rd ODI: Brief Scores

NZ 127/2 (31 overs) (Suzie Bates 63 (87), Sophie Devine 38 (48), Oshadi Ranasinghe 1/22) lost against SL 196/2 (29 overs) (Chamari Athapaththu 140 (80), Nilakshi de Silva 48 (68), Lea Tahuhu 1/29) by 8 wickets. (DLS Method)

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