Nilakshi powers Sri Lanka to 258/6 against New Zealand

Colombo, Oct 14 (PTI) Nilakshi de Silva blazed away to an unbeaten 28-ball 55 as Sri Lanka posted a challenging 258 for six against New Zealand in their Women's World Cup match here on Tuesday.

Nilakshi struck seven fours and a six during her breezy knock.

Opting to bat, the opening duo of skipper Chamari Athapaththu (53 off 72 balls) and Vishmi Gunaratne (42 off 83) added 101 runs at a decent clip to lay a solid foundation.

Hansini Perera (44 off 61) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (26 off 31) then put together 58 runs to maintain the Sri Lankan momentum.

Three wickets in 11 balls, however, disturbed the Lankan tempo before Nilakshi stepped up.

Among New Zealand bowlers, captain Sophie Devine picked up 3/54 in nine overs.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka: 258/6 in 50 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 53, Vishmi Gunaratne 42, Hansini Perera 44; Nilakshi de Silva 55 not out; Sophie Devine 3/54). PTI AH UNG