New Zealand Women win T20I series after eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka Women

Veteran batter Suzie Bates scored a half-century to help New Zealand Women to a series win over Sri Lanka Women in the second T20I played in Galle, avenging the ODI series defeat earlier this month. 

Having won the first two T20Is, New Zealand hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. 

Set a 119-run target for victory, New Zealand always had the chase under control, with Bates and Bernadine Bezuidenhout putting on a 48-run opening wicket partnership.

Kavisha Dilhari finally broke through in the ninth over, when Bezuidenhout was stumped for 24, but that joy was short-lived as Bates and Amelia Kerr took the game away from Sri Lanka with a 59-run stand for the second wicket. 

Bates was eventually dismissed by Inoka Ranaweera in the 17th over, but the visiting team were only 12 runs adrift of the target, which they scored with eight balls left in the innings.

Earlier, Sri Lanka found themselves in trouble on 14 for 3 with captain Chamari Athapaththu run out for 2 and Vishmi Gunaratne and Kavisha Dilhari falling victim to Lea Tahunu inside the first four overs. 

A 67-run partnership between Harshitha Samarawickrama and Hasini Perera got Sri Lanka's innings back on track, before Tahunu struck again to remove Perera for 33. 

Samarawickrama followed her 10 runs later, with runs from Nilakshi de Silva and Anushka Sanjeewani taking Sri Lanka to the end of their innings on 118 for 6.