Nilakshika Silva slams her maiden Women's T20 WC fifty: Stats
What's the story
Nilakshika Silva powered Sri Lanka to a five-wicket win over defending champions New Zealand in the 2026 ICC Women's T20 World Cup on Tuesday. The Lankans successfully chased down 151 in what was a final-over finish at The Rose Bowl, Southampton. Nilakshika Silva anchored the chase with a half-century. Earlier, a concerted bowling effort helped SL restrict the White Ferns to 150/6.
Chase
Silva stars in SL's chase
SL openers Vishmi Gunaratne and Chamari Athapaththu started well, adding 45 (35). However, Bree Illing and Nensi Patel struck in successive overs to remove the two. While Hasini Perera was run out early, Harshitha Samarawickrama fell to Patel, leaving SL at 55/4. Silva and Kavisha Dilhari took SL past 100 thereafter. Although Dilhari was run out, Silva (54*) and Kaushani Nuthyangana (24*) propelled SL to a close victory.
Knock
Silva guides NZ to victory
Silva's 37-ball 54* was studded with 5 fours and a six. She found boundaries at crucial junctures during her 45-plus knocks with Dilhari and Nuthyangana. The 30-year-old recorded her maiden half-century in the Women's T20 World Cup. She now has 303 runs from 19 matches at 25.25 in the tournament. Her strike rate is just over 101.
Information
A look at her numbers
According to ESPNcricinfo, Silva raced to her second half-century in WT20Is. From 116 games, she owns 1,310 runs at an average of 18.71. Her highest score in the format is 63* (versus Bangladesh).