In the second ODI of the Sri Lanka Women’s tour of New Zealand 2025, hosted at Saxton Oval, New Zealand clinched a convincing 78-run victory over Sri Lanka, propelled by a stellar century from Maddy Green and an impressive bowling performance.

Maddy Green guides New Zealand to a competitive total

New Zealand, after winning the toss, chose to bat first, setting the stage for a high-stakes encounter. The decision paid off handsomely, with the home team crafting a substantial total that proved too formidable for the visiting side.

The innings began with Suzie Bates and Georgia Plimmer at the crease. Though Bates departed early for just 5 runs, Plimmer anchored the innings with a resilient knock of 28, featuring four boundaries. Despite early setbacks including the exits of Emma McLeod and Brooke Halliday, the backbone of the innings was Maddy Green’s exceptional century.

Green played a decisive knock of 100 runs off 109 deliveries, including seven fours. She showcased elegance and grit that held the innings together.

Jess Kerr (38 off 44) and Polly Inglis (34 off 21) accelerated in the latter part of the innings, ensuring a formidable total of 245 for 7 wickets in 50 overs.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers, despite restricting a few early wickets, struggled to contain the runs, with Chamari Athapaththu emerging as the most successful bowler with figures of 10 overs, 2 wickets for 42 runs.

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Sri Lanka batters struggle in the run-chase

Chasing a target of 246, Sri Lanka found themselves in early trouble, losing Vishmi Rajapaksha Gunaratne and Athapaththu in quick succession. Harshitha Samarawickrama stood firm with a commendable 59 off 77 balls, striking the ball with finesse, yet lacked support from the other end.

Other contributions came from Kavisha Dilhari (25 off 42) and Nilakshi de Silva (20 off 44), but wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals due to the disciplined bowling attack from the home team.

New Zealand bowlers delivered collectively, led by Hannah Rowe – who claimed remarkable figures of 10 overs, 4 wickets for just 31 runs. Her ability to extract movement and maintain accuracy was crucial in dismantling the opposition’s batting line-up.

Bree Illing (2 wickets for 45 in 10 overs) and Eden Carson (2 wickets for 30 in 8.4 overs) complimented the bowling attack effectively. Finishing at 167 all-out in 46.4 overs, Sri Lanka found themselves 78 runs short of the target.

New Zealand defeated Sri Lanka by 78 runs in the 2nd ODI ????????#women #cricket #NZvSL #newzealandcricket #CricketTwitter #WomenCricket pic.twitter.com/HHS1VQcQnV

— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) March 7, 2025

Player of the Match

Maddy Green’s impactful century, crucial in setting the challenging total, earned her the Player of the Match accolade.

Maddy Green wins Player of the match award for her brilliant hundred ????#women #cricket #NZvSL #MaddyGreen #CricketTwitter #WomenCricket pic.twitter.com/ST2fhoP3Ha

— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) March 7, 2025

Also READ: Latest ICC Women’s Rankings

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