Defending champions New Zealand face Sri Lanka in a must-win Group 2 clash at the Hampshire Bowl in Southampton on Tuesday, June 16. Start time is 2:30 PM local (BST) and 7:00 PM IST. Both teams lost their opening matches. New Zealand chased 163 against West Indies on Saturday and fell one run short, bowled out for 162.
Sri Lanka lost to England by 87 runs at Edgbaston on Friday. England posted 219/1 with Danni Wyatt-Hodge scoring 105 off 62. Sri Lanka could only manage 132 in reply. Freya Kemp took 4/22.
NZ- W vs SL-W Match Details
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Match | New Zealand Women vs Sri Lanka Women, 7th Match, Group 2, ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 |
| Date | Tuesday, 16 June 2026 |
| Time | 2:30 PM local (BST) / 1:30 PM GMT / 7:00 PM IST (afternoon match) |
| Venue | The Hampshire Bowl (Utilita Bowl), Southampton. Same ground where NZ lost to WI on Saturday. The new ball swings under afternoon cloud cover. Spinners get grip through the middle overs. |
| Series | ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026. 12 teams, two groups of six, top two from each group reached the semi-finals. Group 2: England, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Scotland. Final at Lord’s on July 5. |
| Broadcast | UK: Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Mix (free-to-air on Freeview). India: Star Sports, JioHotstar. Global: ICC.tv. NZ: Sky Sport NZ. |
Dream11 Team For NZ-W vs SL-W 7th Match
Top Picks For NZ-W vs SL-W 7th Match
| Player | Team | Role | Key Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amelia Kerr | NZ | All-Rounder | Captain pick. NZ captain, world No.1 T20I all-rounder. Leg-spin + top-five batting. Must-pick. |
| Sophie Devine | NZ | All-Rounder | Vice-Captain pick. 45 vs WI on Saturday, NZ’s top scorer. Right-hand power-hitter + seam option. |
| Chamari Athapaththu | SL | All-Rounder | Sri Lanka captain. 3,752 T20I runs, 71 wickets, 10th T20 World Cup. Opens the batting + bowls LAO. Must-pick. |
| Jess Kerr | NZ | Bowler | NZ’s leading seamer. 2/31 vs WI on Saturday. Right-arm fast, swings the new ball. Targets SL openers. |
| Harshitha Samarawickrama | SL | Batter | SL’s in-form batter. 147 runs in 5 T20I innings this year at SR 148.48. 29 off 18 vs ENG. Middle-order anchor. |
| Maddy Green | NZ | Batter | Left-hand middle-order batter. Plays spin well and rotates strike. 8.5 credits, consistent NZ contributor. |
Pitch Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Venue | The Hampshire Bowl (Utilita Bowl), Southampton. |
| Pitch Type | Balanced surface with even bounce. New ball swings under afternoon cloud cover. Spinners get grip and turn through the middle overs. WI posted 163 and defended it on Saturday. 160+ is competitive here. |
| Average 1st Innings Score | Around 150 to 165 in women’s T20Is at this venue. 160+ is competitive. 170+ is dominant. Sub-140 is vulnerable. |
| Pace vs Spin | PACE early. Jess Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Rosemary Mair for NZ. Malki Madara, Kawya Kavindi for SL. SPIN through the middle. Amelia Kerr (leg), Nensi Patel for NZ. Athapaththu (LAO), Dilhari, Sugandika Kumari for SL. |
| Toss Factor | Slight edge to BOWLING FIRST. WI chose to bat first and defended 163 on Saturday. Cloud cover early helps the new ball. Chasing under lights may be easier as dew settles. |
| Key Matchup | Chamari Athapaththu vs Amelia Kerr in the middle overs. Left-hander vs leg-spin. Kerr’s googly against Athapaththu’s sweep is the duel that decides Sri Lanka’s innings. |
Weather Report
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Temperature | 15 to 19°C (59 to 66°F). Mild English afternoon on the south coast. |
| Sky | Partly cloudy with sunny breaks. Some cloud cover that helps the new ball early. |
| Rain Chance | Around 20%. A full 40-over game is the strong expectation. |
| Humidity | Moderate (65 to 75%). Helps swing bowlers early. Some dew possible in the second innings. |
| Overall | Good cricket conditions. A full match is expected. Cloud cover early suits the new-ball seamers. 155 to 165 should be par. |
NZ-W vs SL-W 7th Match Toss Prediction
The toss winner will likely bowl first. Cloud cover helps the new ball. WI defended 163 at this ground on Saturday. Chasing under mild dew later is the safer option.
If Amelia Kerr (New Zealand) wins, she will bowl first. Jess Kerr and Lea Tahuhu take the new ball at Athapaththu and Gunaratne. Amelia Kerr bowls her leg-spin through the middle against Samarawickrama and Dilhari. Restrict Sri Lanka under 145. Then Devine and Plimmer open, with Bates, Green and A Kerr to finish.
If Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka) wins, she will also bowl first. Malki Madara and Kawya Kavindi take the new ball at Devine and Plimmer. Athapaththu bowls left-arm spin through the middle at Bates and Green. Restrict NZ under 150. Then Athapaththu and Gunaratne attack the powerplay.
Injury Updates
New Zealand Women:
No fresh injury concerns. The XI from the WI loss is likely to start again. Amelia Kerr captains. Izzy Gaze keeps wicket. NZ may bring in Brooke Halliday or Bree Illing for an extra seam option, but the core group stays the same. Suzie Bates plays her seventh T20 World Cup at 37.
Sri Lanka Women:
No fresh injury concerns. Sri Lanka may bring in Imesha Dulani at three to give Hasini Perera a rest after the heavy England defeat. Athapaththu captains for her 10th T20 World Cup. Samarawickrama is in form (147 runs at SR 148.48 this year). De Silva showed resistance with 39 against England. The bowling group needs more control after conceding 219/1.
