Chamari Athapaththu's explosive unbeaten hundred provides Sri Lanka series win over New Zealand

Galle [Sri Lanka], July 4 (ANI): Chamari Athapaththu's blistering knock of 140* off 80 balls guided Sri Lanka to a comfortable eight-wicket win against New Zealand via the DLS method in Galle.
With the 2-1 series win, Sri Lankan women registered a historic maiden series victory against the Black caps in ODI.
Chasing 196 in 29 overs with DLS method, Sri Lanka got a poor start as they were 6 for 2, with both Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama going back to the pavilion at duck and 3 respectively.
However, Athapaththu who is in the purple patch of her career, started playing counterattacking knock. Athapaththu had scored a century at the same venue against the same opponents last week, repeated the same, smashing a hundred off just 60 balls. She struck 13 fours and nine sixes in the innings. She also jumped to the fourth position on the list of women's cricket with the most ODI centuries.
While Athapaththu, Nilakshi de Silva also played a helping hand scoring an unbeaten 48, as the added 190 runs for the third wicket. This is the highest partnership by Sri Lanka's women cricketers in ODIs.
Earlier, New Zealand posted 127/ 2 in 31 overs with the help of Suzie Bates' half-century. Opting to bat, New Zealand also lost their opener Bernadine Bezuidenhout early in the innings.
However, Bates (63*) and Sophie Devine (38*) kept their team in the game. The duo added an unbroken 74 for the third wicket before the rain brought an abrupt end to New Zealand's innings.
Brief scores: Sri Lanka Women 196/2 (Athapaththu 140*, Nilakshi 48*, Lea Tahuhu 1-29) vs New Zealand 127/2 (Bates 63*, Devine 38*, Oshadi Ranasinghe 1-22). (ANI)