Women’s World Cup 2025 [WATCH]: Rosemary Mair cleans up Vishmi Gunaratne with a peach of a delivery in SL-W vs NZ-W clash

Sri Lanka Women, batting first against New Zealand Women in the 15th match of the at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, posted a competitive 175/2 in 39.1 overs, with crucial contributions from their top order. Captain Chamari Athapaththu anchored the innings with a composed 53 off 72 balls, including seven boundaries, while Vishmi Gunaratne provided a steady foundation with 42 off 83 deliveries. The partnership between Athapaththu and Gunaratne reached 101 runs before Sophie Devine broke through, dismissing the captain caught by Maddy Green. Gunaratne, looking set for a half-century, was then dismissed by a brilliant delivery from Rosemary Mair, who struck at a pivotal moment to shift momentum slightly in New Zealand’s favour.​

Rosemary Mair’s unplayable ball castles Vishmi Gunaratne in SL-W vs NZ-W game

In the 28.4th over, Mair delivered a peach of a ball to dismiss Gunaratne, who was well-set on 42. Mair bowled a length delivery at 109.9 kph outside off stump, which seamed away slightly, beating Gunaratne for pace.

The Sri Lankan batter, with her feet unmoving, attempted a defensive slash but was comprehensively beaten, resulting in the ball crashing into the top of off stump. The dismissal was a testament to Mair’s precision and ability to extract movement at high speed, ending a threatening partnership and reigniting New Zealand’s bowling attack.

Despite the wicket, Sri Lanka maintained their scoring momentum, with Hasini Perera (38* off 53) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (26* off 27) guiding the innings to 178/2 before the start of last 10 overs.​

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Sri Lanka batting line up builds platform for competitive total

Sri Lanka’s decision to bat first, as stated by captain Athapaththu, was based on the difficulty of chasing in previous matches and favorable batting conditions. The Powerplay yielded 52 runs without loss, setting a strong foundation. Athapaththu reached her fifty off 67 balls, while the extras (18 in total, including 13 wides) also contributed significantly to the scoring rate.

Although New Zealand’s bowlers, particularly Amelia Kerr (8-0-30-0) and (5-1-17-1), maintained tight lines, the lack of wickets in the middle overs allowed Sri Lanka to consolidate. Mair’s solitary wicket came at an economy of 5.03, but the overall bowling effort was disciplined. With Perera and Samarawickrama remaining unbeaten, Sri Lanka positioned themselves well to post a challenging total that could prove decisive on the spin-friendly Colombo pitch.

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This article was first published at , a Cricket Times company.