COLOMBO: Sri Lanka and New Zealand were forced to share points in their Women’s World Cup fixture after heavy rain had the final say in Colombo on Tuesday, washing out play after the innings break.
The hosts had done the hard yards, posting a competitive 258-6 and fancying their chances with a spin heavy attack on a pitch tailor made for the slow bowlers. The total was also the highest in the Colombo leg of the competition so far.
The innings belonged to lower order dynamo Nilakshika Silva, who threw caution to the wind to smash the fastest half-century of this World Cup.
Coming in at number six, she turned the tide with a whirlwind knock, reaching her fifty in just 26 balls, bettering the previous mark of 34 deliveries set by Bangladesh’s Shorna Akter earlier in the week.
It was also a new Sri Lankan record, eclipsing Nilakshika’s own milestone of 28 balls.
It was her fourth half-century in ODIs and she crossed the 1,000 run mark in the process, becoming only the eighth Sri Lankan to do so.
For once, the hosts didn’t have to lean solely on Chamari Athapaththu’s broad shoulders.
However, the skipper returned to form with her 20th ODI fifty and stitched together an opening stand of 101 with Vishmi Gunaratne, who made a fluent 42.
That solid foundation allowed Hasini Perera (44) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (26) to consolidate before Nilakshika’s late fireworks took the innings from steady to sizzling.
Sri Lanka plundered 80 runs in the last 10 overs, with 16 coming off the final over as they finished with a flourish.
New Zealand captain Sophie Devine picked up three wickets, but may have missed a trick by under bowling left-armer Bree Illing, who extracted lively bounce and pace to claim two scalps in just seven overs.
The Kiwis will stay put in Colombo to face Pakistan on Saturday while Sri Lanka take on an in-form South Africa on Friday.
Rain stops Sri Lanka’s momentum in New Zealand washout at World Cup
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Rain stops Sri Lanka’s momentum in New Zealand washout at World Cup
- The innings belonged to lower order dynamo Nilakshika Silva
- It was also a new Sri Lankan record, eclipsing Nilakshika’s own milestone of 28 balls
Lowry and Elvira share halfway lead at Dubai Invitational
- Irishman Lowry began the day 3 shots behind Grand Slam champion Rory McIlroy before finishing with 68
DUBAI: Shane Lowry and Nacho Elvira both produced brilliant rounds of 68 in windy conditions to earn a two-shot lead at the 2026 Dubai Invitational.
The Irishman began the day three shots behind good friend and Grand Slam champion Rory McIlroy, but some stunning iron play and clutch putting saw him overhaul his playing partner.
Lowry is aiming to secure his first DP World Tour title since winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship and he showcased his quality with five birdies and two bogeys.
Spaniard Elvira surged into contention thanks to four birdies in his final six holes for a matching 68 — the best rounds of the day — to set the clubhouse target of five under.
Having been joined at the summit of the leaderboard earlier in the day, McIlroy regained his one-shot advantage when he birdied the third to reach six under.
That lead was briefly extended to two when Antoine Rozner’s early birdie burst was offset by a double bogey, but McIlroy dropped a shot at the sixth.
A skewed chip left a difficult par putt for McIlroy to save par at the ninth and when it slid by, he was in a two-way tie for the lead at four under.
In the group ahead, Lawrence carded back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth — the latter with a sumptuous hole-out from the bunker — to join that mark.
Lowry opened with birdie-birdie for the second day running and despite a bogey at the fifth, he picked up the shot at the very next hole. A bogey at the ninth saw him slip back one, but he responded immediately with a lovely birdie putt at the 10th to rejoin the lead.
None of the trio could jump ahead on their own as they reached the turn, which saw Armitage increase the leadership group to four.
The Englishman, who started on the back nine, mixed two birdies and two bogeys during his front nine and then picked up shots at the second and fourth to reach the summit.
However, by the time McIlroy and Lowry finished the 14th hole, the latter was in the sole lead.
Lawrence had bogeyed the same par-three hole, Armitage dropped a shot at the ninth — his last — and McIlroy found the water at the 14th as the trio slipped back to three under.
That left Lowry on his own at the top. He was briefly joined by Elvira and McIlroy when the latter rolled in a 46-foot putt at the 16th for birdie, but Lowry followed suit from 31 feet to maintain his one-shot lead at five under.
McIlroy found the water for the fourth time at the 17th as he finished with back-to-back bogeys to sit three behind the joint leaders.
“Very happy (with the round),” said Lowry. “It was hard. It was tricky. You know, like that putt on the last hole, you don’t hole a lot of putts like that, and I did well. I did a good job. A couple sloppy mistakes on the front nine, but I was playing good and giving myself chances.
“I just had a great day out there. I really enjoyed it. I had a great group. Two great amateurs, and playing golf in a good frame of mind makes it a little bit easier. That’s sort of a little lesson for me for the rest season. If I play golf like that for the rest season in that frame of mind, I’ll be pretty good.”
Elvira had carded three bogeys and two birdies during his first 12 holes, but his birdie blitz to complete his second round propelled into the share of the lead with Lowry.
“I feel like off the tee I hit it really well,” said Elvira. “That’s something I struggled with in the past, and we made a couple changes, and I think it’s paying off. So, I’m very happy with the way I’m hitting it off the tee. It’s putting me in good positions to take advantage.”
Armitage and Spain’s David Puig were tied for third at three under, while McIlroy, Lawrence, Rozner and Spain’s Angel Ayora were one shot further back at two under.
American Ryggs Johnston recorded the first hole-in-one of 2026 when he aced the 218-yard par-three eighth with a six iron.
In the team competition, Jimmy Dunne, who was paired with Lowry, leads the way on 12 under, one stroke ahead of Greg Mondre and Dante Jimenez.
