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World Cup 2025: Sri Lanka Shake Up Playing XI, New Zealand Hand Chance to Illing

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Chamari Athapaththu

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in Colombo. The hosts, with just one point from three games after suffering two defeats, are eager to bounce back. Meanwhile, the White Ferns have also faced two losses but enter this contest with momentum, having defeated Bangladesh in their previous fixture.

Explaining her decision at the toss, Athapaththu said her side needed to improve while chasing.

β€œπ‘Ύπ’†β€™π’—π’† π’”π’•π’“π’–π’ˆπ’ˆπ’π’†π’… 𝒂 π’ƒπ’Šπ’• π’Šπ’ 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 π’•π’˜π’ π’ˆπ’‚π’Žπ’†π’” π’˜π’‰π’Šπ’π’† π’„π’‰π’‚π’”π’Šπ’π’ˆ, 𝒔𝒐 π’˜π’† π’˜π’‚π’π’• 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒖𝒑 𝒂 π’”π’•π’“π’π’π’ˆ 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’” π’•π’Šπ’Žπ’†,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 π’“π’†π’Žπ’‚π’“π’Œπ’†π’…, π’†π’Žπ’‘π’‰π’‚π’”π’Šπ’”π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’Šπ’Žπ’‘π’π’“π’•π’‚π’π’„π’† 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 π’”π’•π’†π’‘π’‘π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒖𝒑.

New Zealand Make One Change as Sri Lanka Shuffle Bowling Options

New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the toss, noting that bowling first aligned with their initial game plan.

β€œπ‘Ύπ’† π’˜π’†π’“π’† π’π’π’π’Œπ’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒕𝒐 π’ƒπ’π’˜π’ π’‡π’Šπ’“π’”π’• π’‚π’π’šπ’˜π’‚π’š. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 π’Šπ’Žπ’‘π’π’“π’•π’‚π’π’• 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 π’˜π’† π’Žπ’‚π’Šπ’π’•π’‚π’Šπ’ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’”π’‚π’Žπ’† π’…π’Šπ’”π’„π’Šπ’‘π’π’Šπ’π’† π’˜π’† π’”π’‰π’π’˜π’†π’… π’‚π’ˆπ’‚π’Šπ’π’”π’• π‘©π’‚π’π’ˆπ’π’‚π’…π’†π’”π’‰,” π‘«π’†π’—π’Šπ’π’† 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’Žπ’‚π’•π’„π’‰.

Sri Lanka made two changes to their lineup β€” bringing in Malki Madara and Piumi Wathsala in place of Udeshika Prabodani and Dewmi Vihanga. The visitors, on the other hand, made a single change, handing Bree Illing a spot in the XI in place of Lea Tahuhu, a tactical move considering the left-armer’s potential match-up advantage against Athapaththu.

The pitch in Colombo features uneven boundaries β€” 58 metres on one side and 63 on the other β€” and is expected to offer some early bounce and swing for the seamers before assisting spinners later in the game. However, intermittent rain in Colombo could play a role, with showers forecast at some stage during the contest.

Playing XIs

Sri Lanka: Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu (C), Hasini Perera, Harshita Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (WK), Piumi Wathsala, Sugandika Kumari, Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera

New Zealand: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (C), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson, Bree Illing

Also Read: β€œYou Need to Be Fearless as a Captain” – Shubman Gill on India’s Dominant 2-0 Triumph

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