Bates, Illing, Halliday shine as New Zealand level series 1-1
New Zealand 149 for 7 (Halliday 46*, Bates 46, Illing 2-18, Kapp 2-11, Jonassen 2-26) beat Sri Lanka 113 for 7 (Nanayakkara 40, Rodrigues 30, Illing 2-18) by seven wickets
A strong performance from Suzie Bates, Bree Illing, and Brooke Halliday powered New Zealand to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Christchurch, leveling the T20I series at 1-1.
Opting to bowl first, New Zealand’s disciplined bowling restricted Sri Lanka to just 113 for 7. Illing, playing only her second T20I, led the way by taking two wickets for 18 runs, striking twice within the first seven overs. The frugal bowling unit collectively put pressure on Sri Lanka, with Bates and Amelia Kerr providing valuable contributions to restrict the visitors.
Sri Lanka struggled initially, losing early wickets including a crucial dismissal of Harshitha Samarawickrama by debutant Flora Devonshire. However, they steadied through a 54-run partnership between Manudi Nanayakkara and Niki Prasad, ultimately posting a modest target.
Chasing 114, New Zealand lost two early wickets before Bates anchored the innings expertly, scoring an unbeaten 46 off 40 balls—her highest T20I score. After an initial wobble, Halliday stepped up with a career-best unbeaten 46 off 40 balls, taking New Zealand comfortably home by the 18th over.
The win means the three-match series is now tied at 1-1, setting up a deciding encounter in Dunedin on Tuesday.
