BRISTOL: New Zealand kept their Women’s T20 World Cup campaign alive with a composed six-wicket victory over Scotland in their Group 2 match Bristol on Tuesday, surviving an early wobble before a 101-run partnership between Izzy Sharp and Brooke Halliday sealed a crucial win that eliminated Scotland from the tournament.

Coming into the contest with both teams facing a virtual knockout, New Zealand made the right call at the toss by opting to field. However, the defending champions were made to work hard by a spirited Scotland outfit that refused to go quietly.

Darcey Carter anchored Scotland’s innings with an outstanding unbeaten 72 off 52 deliveries, carrying her bat through as wickets tumbled around her. Scotland looked set for a significantly bigger total after reaching 96 for 2 in the 15th over, with Carter finding valuable support from Katherine Fraser and Sarah Bryce.

But New Zealand’s bowlers staged an impressive turnaround in the closing stages. Sophie Devine broke the momentum with two quick wickets before Amelia Kerr’s brilliant spell at the death, which yielded figures of 3 for 17, restricted Scotland to 131 for 7. The collapse of five wickets for just 35 runs meant Carter’s lone effort was left without the finishing flourish it deserved.

SL ON TRACK FOR LAST FOUR

In another Group 2 game, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu hit the eighth century in tournament history in a win over Ireland at the same venue just two days after saying she felt like “a failure as a captain” following a defeat to the West Indies.

Ireland bore the brunt of Athapaththu’s rebound, a magnificent 106 not out in Sri Lanka’s winning 134-1.

She sent the first delivery past mid-off to the fence and preyed on poor bowling. She scored 50 off 32 balls and needed only 26 more to complete her first World Cup hundred and fourth in T20s, which included 76 off boundaries.

Of course, Athapaththu hit the winning runs from her 17th boundary, and celebrated a massive Sri Lanka win by nine wickets with 4.3 overs remaining.

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2026