Chamari Athapaththu's assault hands New Zealand heavy defeat
Sri Lanka's openers chased down the target of 141 with 33 balls to spare
ESPNcricinfo staff
12-Jul-2023
Chamari Athapaththu struck 13 fours and two sixes in her innings • Getty Images
Sri Lanka 143 for 0 (Athapaththu 80*, Samarawickrama 49*) beat New Zealand 140 for 9 (Devine 46, Ranaweera 3-15, Kumari 2-23) by ten wickets
Chamari Athapaththu smashed an unbeaten 80 off just 47 balls as Sri Lanka hunted down 141 in the third T20I against New Zealand with all ten wickets and 33 balls in the bank. It was a consolation victory for the hosts, who had already lost the first two matches of the series. New Zealand ended the tour by winning with the T20I trophy, after Sri Lanka had won the ODIs 2-1.
Athapaththu, who had reached her half-century off 25 deliveries, smashed 13 fours and two sixes during her knock. She hit nine fours and a six in the powerplay to lead Sri Lanka to 64 for 0 after six overs. At the other end, Harshitha Samarawickrama played second fiddle and gave the strike to her captain. Samarawickrama ended the game by cracking three successive boundaries to finish unbeaten on 49.
The fact that Sri Lanka required only 141 was down to New Zealand collapsing; they lost 5 for 11 in the last three overs of their innings. Sophie Devine, the New Zealand captain, top scored for her team with 46 off 25 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes.
Inoka Ranaweera took three wickets while Sugandika Kumari struck twice, before Athapaththu's assault blew New Zealand away.