Sri Lanka have charged to a historic nine-wicket win over the White Ferns in the opening match of their one-day international series at Galle.
Reduced to a 28-over contest due to rain, the NZ women posted 170/5, which was clinically chased down by the hosts for the loss of just a single wicket (172/1).
The victory is the first by a Sri Lanka women's team in any format of the game against New Zealand.
The match also included the highest partnership for any wicket in women's ODIs, with Chamari Athapathtu (108) and Vishmi Gunaratne (50) putting on 159 in a first-wicket stand that set the platform for their comprehensive win.
After captain Sophie Devine won the toss, the Ferns lost the wicket of Bernadine Bezuidenhout (13) early.
Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr then combined for a 60-run stand, albeit at a lethargic run rate. When Bates (28 off 35 balls) and Kerr (40 off 51) departed at the hands of the spin of Kavisha Dilhari and Inoka Ranaweera respectively, New Zealand were left at just 89/3 in the 18th over.
Maddy Green (38 of 30), Georgia Plimmer (23no off 25), and Sophie Devine (19 off 14) provided a desperately needed burst of acceleration to the scoring rate to reach their moderately competitive total.
The brilliance of Athapathtu and Gunaratne ensured a stress-free day for their team. Their recordbreaking stand was eventually undone by Devine, when Gunaratne miscued her to Brooke Halliday for the solitary wicket to fall in the Sri Lankan innings.
The teams will remain in Galle for the second ODI, scheduled for Friday.
