Sri Lanka Women will take on New Zealand Women in their 15th match of the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday, October 14. The home side has struggled in the early stages of the tournament, having played three matches so far.

Sri Lanka began their campaign with a 69-run loss to India via the DLS method. Their second match against Australia was abandoned due to rain, offering them just one point. In their most recent outing, England defeated them by 89 runs, leaving Sri Lanka’s World Cup hopes in urgent need of a spark.

“Someone find a power pylon, a generator… even a car battery would do. Attach the wires to Sri Lanka's Women’s World Cup 2025 campaign,” quipped observers, reflecting how badly the team needs a turnaround. Playing at home, they have faced the toughest teams in their first three fixtures, and so far, only the washout against Australia has kept faint hope alive.

New Zealand seek consistency

New Zealand also had a shaky start, losing to Australia by 89 runs and then falling to South Africa by six wickets. However, Sophie Devine and her team bounced back strongly with a 100-run victory over Bangladesh in their last match, restoring some confidence.

While New Zealand’s campaign has been better than Sri Lanka’s, a loss in Colombo could severely damage their semi-final prospects. South Africa and England are now in strong form, while Australia and India have performed like the pre-tournament favourites.

Recent head-to-head advantage

Sri Lanka have an edge in recent head-to-head ODI encounters. In a three-match series in Galle in 2023, they defeated New Zealand 2-1. Both victories were powered by exceptional performances from Chamari Athapaththu, including a breathtaking 140* off 80 balls — arguably her best innings ever.

Despite that, New Zealand’s batting has been far steadier this tournament. Their three innings so far have yielded totals between 225 and 240. In contrast, Sri Lanka managed just 164 against England at the same venue on Saturday.

Bowling battles and conditions

New Zealand’s bowlers played a key role in their win over Bangladesh, restricting them to 127. Jess Kerr and Lea Tahuhu took three wickets each, while leg spinner Amelia Kerr has five wickets in the tournament. However, New Zealand’s spinners may need stronger support if they are to dominate the turning pitch at Colombo.

Weather Report

Colombo’s weather remains consistent with the past two weeks—hot and humid, with frequent showers passing through. The pitch is expected to offer good turn again, similar to conditions on Saturday.

Pitch Report

The R. Premadasa Stadium has hosted five matches so far in the tournament, including one that was washed out due to rain. Teams batting first have dominated, with only one successful chase recorded. The average first-innings score at the venue has been around 213.

Probable Playing XI's

Sri Lanka Women: Hasini Perera, Chamari Athapaththu (c), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshi de Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani (wk), Dewmi Vihanga, Sugandika Kumari, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera

New Zealand Women: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wk), Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson