A tight bowling effort and a well-timed chase have lifted the White Ferns to victory in the first Twenty20 against Sri Lanka.
After dropping the ODI series 2-1 — their first series defeat by Sri Lanka in any format — New Zealand responded on Saturday with a comfortable five-wicket win in Colombo.
All-rounder Amelia Kerr led the way with a run out, two catches from her own bowling and 34 off 28 with the bat, while opener Suzie Bates (44 off 47) took the tourists to the verge of their target of 107.
The White Ferns were never under much duress during that chase and eventually cruised home with seven balls to spare, after they had used eight bowlers to effectively restrict the hosts once skipper Sophie Devine had asked them to bat.
The pivotal moment might have arrived from the first ball of the match. After Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu had carried her side to their ODI triumph with two centuries — including smashing an 80-ball 140 in the decider — off-spinner Eden Carson ensured there would be no repeat by immediately rocking the opener’s middle stump.