*SRILANKA WOMEN VS NEWZEALAND WOMEN 2nd ODI PREVIEW- ICC CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH*
*THE BUILD UP:*
A rain inflicted game in the first ODI which saw Srilanka absolutely flush NZ down the drain with a commanding win over the visitors. What marked their victory was how easily they wrapped it up with skipper Athapaththu reaching a memorable milestone as she finished on 108 off just 83 deliveries, striking at over 130.
There was hardly any bright spot for the Kiwis who had an outing to remember. It was always going to be a hard ask to compete and to triumph over the Lankans in conditions that are foreign to them but no one expected a high level bashing like this where the visitors fail to pick up anything more than a sole wicket. Their batting was a collective disaster where none of the batters reached 50 but to make matters worse, their bowling made up for this disastrous show. They’d hope for a better return come tomorrow as the 2nd ODI approaches the two teams, NZ would see this as an opportunity to come biting back at the island nation and square off the three match series.
*NZ W PROBABLE XI:*
Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Amelia Kerr, Maddy Green, Georgia Plimmer, Bernadine Bezuidenhout (wk), Leigh kasperek, Lea Tahuhu, Hannah Rowe, Molly Penfold, Fran Jonas
Amelia Kerr will be a reliable option for the Kiwis. She showcased some form with a 51 ball 40 where all others scored less than her and were poor in their pursuit. She would desperately hope for a comeback with the bowl after leaking 46 in just 6 overs. Known for her versatility as an allrounder, Kerr brings a well rounded skill set to the table and we could be in for a classy show from the allround package if all goes well. I see her playing an integral role if the Whiter ferns are to come anywhere close to the home domination of Srilanka.
The pitch is expected to turn which is going to help the likes of Kasperek-Fran Jones-Kerr and they’d hope for it to remain the same throughout the game in order to purchase some valuable turn and dig a deeper hole for the home batters of the island nation. Excited to watch how Jones with her left arm orthodox style of spin operates here.
*SL PROBABLE XI:*
Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu(c), Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani(wk), Hasini Perera, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Inoka Ranaweera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Sugandika Kumari/Hansima Karunaratne
The fact that Srilanka used three spinners in their lineup, bowling the bulk of the overs against NZ speaks highly of how they’re going to deal the Kiwi threat at their home ground. The surface aids spin and there’s a fair degree of turn that is achieved which the SL spin troika can extract. Eager to watch Ranaweera go about his business because the last game she played, she went at nearly 7 an over but cashed in on the opportunity of getting Kerr back to the pavilion. They collectively bowled 16 overs out of the 28 overs and choked NZ with spin, a strategy which will be helpful even tomorrow with Galle offering enough to the slower bowler type.
Regarded as one of the finest batters in Sri Lankan Women’s cricket, Athapaththu’s incredible skills make her a valuable asset to any team. In the previous encounter, she showcased her prowess by scoring an unbeaten 108 runs off just 83 balls. With her exceptional form and track record, Athapaththu is a prime candidate for outscoring others and emerging to be the most impactful player again. Her captaincy will also be closely looked at after how nicely she handled her troops in ODI 1.
*MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE GAME:*
*FOR NZ:*
Highest run getter- Suzie Bates/Amelia Kerr
Highest wicket taker- Amelia Kerr/Fran Jones
*FOR SL:*
Highest run getter- Athapaththu/Nikalshi De Silva
Highest wicket taker- Kavisha Dilhari/Ranaweera
*FOR THE GAME:*
SL to pocket another win and seal the series