In the recent ICC Women’s T20 World Cup warm-up match between Pakistan Women and Sri Lanka Women, Pakistan Women won the toss and elected to bat first. Pakistan went on to score 168/8, but Sri Lanka Women comfortably chased it down, winning the match by 9 wickets.
Pakistan Women posted a competitive total, heavily anchored by captain Fatima Sana, who top-scored with a quick 37 off 26 balls, including 4 boundaries and a six. The innings got off to a brisk start with opener and wicketkeeper Muneeba Ali smashing 36 off 21 deliveries, while her partner Gull Feroza contributed a steady 26 off 23 balls.
Following a few quick breakthroughs in the middle order—where Ayesha Zafar was run out for 10, Natalia Pervaiz was dismissed for 2, Saira Jabeen struck a quick 12, and Eyman Fatima fell for 5—Aliya Riaz stepped up with a crucial 22 off 16 balls to keep the momentum going. Iram Javed remained unbeaten at the end with a 6-ball 8, and alongside 10 extras, helped push Pakistan’s total to a solid 168/8 in their 20 overs.
Sri Lanka Women deployed a seven-bowler attack to contain Pakistan, spearheaded by a standout performance from Chethana Vimukthi, who tore through the batting lineup to claim an impressive 4 wickets for 31 runs in her 4 overs. Nimasha Meepage provided excellent control, delivering a highly economical spell to take 1 wicket for just 16 runs across 3 overs, while Sugandika Kumari’s figures were 1/33 in 4 overs and Malki Madara’s figures were 1/19 in 2 overs each picking up a wicket apiece.
On the more expensive side of the strategy, captain Chamari Athapaththu conceded 25 runs from her 2 overs, Kawya Kavindi gave away 25 runs in her 3 overs, and Mithali Ayodhya finished with figures of 0/18 from 2 overs, rounding off the team’s bowling effort.
The Sri Lankan Women, in their run chase was a masterclass in dominance, easily tracking down the target to finish at 169/1 in 18.4 overs. Captain Chamari Athapaththu led from the front with a blistering, match winning knock of 94 off just 58 balls, smashing 9 boundaries and 5 sixes before falling to Fatima Sana. She was perfectly supported by opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne, who anchored the chase with an unbeaten 63 off 50 deliveries, clearing the boundary with 4 fours and 3 sixes.
Following Athapaththu’s departure, Harshitha Samarawickrama joined the fray to add an unbeaten 4 off 5 balls to seal the victory. Backed by 8 extras, this clinical top-order display meant that the rest of the lineup including Hasini Perera, Imesha Dulani, Nilakshika Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Hansima Karunaratne, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Sugandika Kumari, Kawya Kavindi, Malki Madara, Mithali Ayodhya, Nimasha Meepage, and Chethana Vimukthi never even needed to pad up.
Pakistan Women’s bowling attack struggled significantly to contain the opposition, with captain Fatima Sana being the sole wicket-taker after dismissing Chamari Athapaththu at 159 runs in the 18th over. Fatima Sana finished with figures of 1/20 from her 2 overs. The rest of the attack went entirely wicketless under a heavy batting assault; Tasmia Rubab conceded 30 runs from her 3.4 overs, while Rameen Shamim and Sadia Iqbal yielded 25 runs and 27 runs respectively from their 3-over spells.
Tuba Hassan bowled a full quota of 4 overs, conceding 32 runs, while Nashra Sandhu proved to be the most expensive bowler of the innings, leaking 32 runs from just 3 overs. Sri Lanka Women cruised to victory thanks to a masterful, unbeaten 159-run opening partnership anchored by captain Chamari Athapaththu’s blistering 94 off 58 balls, complemented by a superb bowling display from Chethana Vimukthi, who tore through the opposition. Conversely, everything went wrong for Pakistan Women as their bowling attack completely imploded under pressure, leaving Fatima Sana as the lone wicket-taker while the rest of the unit leaked runs heavily without a breakthrough.
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