Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr star in vital win for New Zealand

Geprgia Plimmer’s 53 off 44 and an all-round show from Amelia Kerr secured a eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Sharjah, though the margin of victory was not enough to move New Zealand up to second; they remain third in Group A behind second-placed India on net run rate. For Sri Lanka, it’s a fourth defeat in four despite this being their best showing of the tournament with the bat; they finish bottom of the group.

Set a target of 116, Plimmer and Suzie Bates gave New Zealand the ideal start with a 49-run opening stand, before Kerr joined Plimmer for a 46-run partnership to put the result beyond doubt. Sophie Devine then put the boosters on to close out the chase, finishing the game with a monster six over cow corner.

Kerr had earlier notched figures of 2 for 13, including the prize scalp of Chamari Athapaththu, as Sri Lanka were restricted to 115 for 5 in their 20 overs. Plimmer was named Player of the Match for breaking the spine of the chase, though Kerr’s impact cannot be overstated.

There were only four boundaries in Plimmer’s half-century but yet she ended her innings striking at 120. That was largely down to the learning several sides are now internalizing about how to play on the low and slow tracks in Sharjah.

Her innings was replete with 26 singles and four twos, as Sri Lanka’s bevy of spinners were negotiated expertly. This wasn’t death by killer blow, rather one by a thousand cuts. At the end of the power play New Zealand were 35 for no loss, just one more than Sri Lanka, but by the 10th over the run rate had risen to 6.9 per over.

Plimmer eventually fell holing out to deep midwicket, but at 95 for 2 at the end of the 15th over her work was largely done.

After three successive failures, Athapaththu finally managed to get some runs on the board, and with it provided Sri Lanka with their first good start of the tournament with the bat.

Her 35 came off 41 deliveries, not express by any means, but understandable considering the conditions in Sharjah as well as the shaken confidence of Sri Lanka’s batting unit. With the ball still holding up in the surface and keeping low, Athapaththu was forced to wait for the bad deliveries to notch any quick runs, with a couple of exquisite cover drives the pick of her five boundaries.

During her stay she put on stands of 26 and 48 with Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama, to give Sri Lanka their best poweplay of the tournament – 34 for 1, which in itself speaks towards Sri Lanka’s batting troubles – and left them on a decent platform of 57 for 1 at the halfway point of the innings.

With the Athapaththu-Samarawickrama partnership blossoming, a pair of boundaries off Eden Carson and Lea Tahuhu in the 12th and 13th overs signalled Sri Lanka’s intent to up the scoring rate. Enter Amelia Kerr.

The legspinner was coming of the back of a four-for in her last game, but here she had to wait until her third over to make any significant impact. But what an impact that was as, following a period of concerted pressure, Athapaththu looked to drag one over cow corner from outside off only to find her off stump knocked back.

That wicket in hindsight was the first thread to come loose in Sri Lanka’s unravelling. At the fall of Athapaththu’s wicket Sri Lanka had 74 runs on the board and a little over six overs left in the innings – but they were just unable to push on from there, spluttering to 115 for 5 by the end of the innings.

Kerr was a major factor in this as her four overs gave up just 13 runs and also included the wicket of the dangerous Kavisha Dilhari. And if Sri Lanka thought they’d seen the last of her, she struck an unbeaten 34 off 31 with the bat to ensure the win that she herself had set up.

Brief scores:
New Zealand Women 118 for 2 in 17.3 overs (Georgia Plimmer 53, Amelia Kerr 34*; Sachini Nisansala 1-24, Chamari Athapaththu 1-08) beat Sri Lanka Women 115 for 5 in 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 3; Eden Carson 1-19, Amelia Kerr 2-13, Leigh  Kasperek 2-27) by eight wickets

[Crickinfo]