New Zealand Women's cricket team thrashes Sri Lanka by 102 runs in ICC T20 World Cup

 The ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2020 has been an exciting tournament so far, with teams from all over the world competing for the title. In Match 17 of the tournament, New Zealand faced off against Sri Lanka in a thrilling encounter that saw New Zealand emerge as the clear winners by a massive margin of 102 runs.

The match was held at the WACA Ground in Perth, Australia, and New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first. New Zealand got off to a flying start, with openers Sophie Devine and Rachel Priest putting on an impressive 63-run partnership in just 6 overs. Devine was the first to go, caught by Anushka Sanjeewani off the bowling of Shashikala Siriwardene for a quickfire 32 off 16 balls. Priest, however, continued to dominate the Sri Lankan bowling attack, hitting 6 fours and a six on her way to a brilliant half-century.

New Zealand's middle-order then took charge, with captain Suzie Bates and Maddy Green putting on a 51-run partnership for the third wicket. Bates was dismissed for 27, but Green continued to pile on the runs, hitting 7 fours in her 29-ball 39. Amelia Kerr and Katey Martin also chipped in with quickfire cameos towards the end of the innings, as New Zealand posted a formidable total of 168/6 in their 20 overs.

Chasing a daunting target of 169, Sri Lanka got off to a disastrous start, losing both their openers for just 1 run on the board. The New Zealand bowlers then kept the pressure on, with Leigh Kasperek and Kerr picking up a couple of wickets each. Sri Lanka's middle-order crumbled under the pressure, as they lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bowled out for just 66 in 16.4 overs.

For New Zealand, Kasperek was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/18 in her 4 overs. Kerr, who had earlier scored a quickfire 21 off 11 balls, also impressed with the ball, picking up 2 wickets for just 14 runs in her 3 overs. New Zealand's fielding was also top-notch, with some excellent catches and run-outs adding to Sri Lanka's misery.

In the end, it was a comprehensive victory for New Zealand, who have now secured their place in the semi-finals of the tournament. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will need to regroup quickly if they hope to make it to the knockout stages. With the tournament heating up, it will be interesting to see how the remaining matches play out and which team emerges as the eventual champions.