Sri Lanka Women produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat Bangladesh Women by 25 runs in the 1st of three T20Is, with Harshitha Samarawickrama’s composed half-century and a disciplined bowling effort setting up a well-earned victory. In a match filled with crucial partnerships, timely wickets, and standout individual performances, Sri Lanka Women showed greater control in key moments to successfully defend their total of 161/4 against Bangladesh Women, who finished on 136/7 after their 20 overs.
The innings began cautiously for Sri Lanka Women after being asked to bat first, with Hasini Perera and skipper Chamari Athapaththu opening the batting. Bangladesh Women struck the first blow at 25/1 in 4.2 overs when Hasini Perera was dismissed for 7 off 13 balls, caught by Marufa Akter off Sultana Khatun. Although Perera’s stay was brief, she helped lay the early platform. Chamari Athapaththu, as always, looked aggressive and ensured the scoreboard kept moving. She struck 32 off 30 deliveries, including four boundaries and one six, before falling at 67/2 in 9.4 overs, caught by Fariha Trisna off Sultana Khatun. Her partnership with Perera and later with Imesha Dulani ensured Sri Lanka never lost momentum in the powerplay.
After Athapaththu’s dismissal, Imesha Dulani and Harshitha Samarawickrama took complete control of the innings with the most important stand of the match. Dulani played a fluent knock of 55 from 40 balls, smashing seven boundaries at a strike rate of 137.50. She rotated strike beautifully and punished loose deliveries, while Harshitha Samarawickrama anchored the innings brilliantly from the other end. Their 80-run partnership shifted the game heavily in Sri Lanka’s favour and frustrated the Bangladesh bowlers. Dulani was eventually dismissed at 147/3 in 18.4 overs after being stumped by Dilara Akter off Nahida Akter, but by then the damage had been done.
Harshitha Samarawickrama continued till the final over and delivered a Player of the Match performance with a classy unbeaten 61 off 35 balls. Her innings included five boundaries and two sixes at a superb strike rate of 174.28, showcasing both timing and finishing ability. She found support from Hansima Karunaratne, who remained unbeaten on 2 off 2 balls as Sri Lanka Women finished strongly at 161/4 in 20 overs. The late acceleration proved decisive in the final result.
For Bangladesh Women, Sultana Khatun was the standout bowler with figures of 2/29 in 4 overs, dismissing both Hasini Perera and Chamari Athapaththu at crucial stages. Nahida Akter also bowled effectively, picking up 1/26 in her 4 overs and removing Imesha Dulani just when Sri Lanka were threatening an even bigger finish. Marufa Akter was economical despite going wicketless early before finishing with 1/37 from 4 overs, while Rabeya Khan claimed the important wicket of Harshitha late in the innings, ending with 1/21 from 3 overs. Fariha Trisna remained wicketless with 0/35, and Shorna Akter bowled just one over for 10 runs.
Chasing 162, Bangladesh Women needed a brisk start, and Dilara Akter provided exactly that with a quickfire 23 off just 14 balls, including four fours and a six. Alongside Juairiya Ferdous, who made 16 off 12 balls, Bangladesh raced to 39/1 in just 3.4 overs. However, Sri Lanka Women responded quickly when Mithali Ayodhya trapped Dilara lbw, and from there wickets kept interrupting the chase. Juairiya had earlier fallen stumped off Chamari Athapaththu, while Sharmin Akhter managed only 1 before being caught by Perera off Malki Madara.
The pressure intensified when captain Nigar Sultana was dismissed for a duck, trapped lbw by Madara at 40/3 in 4.6 overs. Sobhana Mostary tried to rebuild with 16 off 26 balls, but her slow innings increased the required run rate. She shared a brief stand with Shorna Akter, who fought hard with a determined 60 off 45 balls, striking four boundaries and two sixes. Shorna kept Bangladesh alive with smart placement and controlled aggression but lacked sustained support from the middle order.
Rabeya Khan added 6, while Sultana Khatun remained unbeaten on 6. Bangladesh slipped further when Sobhana was dismissed at 83/5, followed by Rabeya at 97/6. The final major blow came in the 20th over when Shorna Akter was run out for 60 at 136/7 in 19.6 overs, Bangladesh closing 25 runs short.
Sri Lanka’s bowling unit shared responsibilities beautifully. Malki Madara was excellent with 2/31 in 4 overs, including the key wickets of Sharmin Akhter and Nigar Sultana. Chamari Athapaththu once again contributed with the ball, taking 2/19 in her 4 overs and controlling the middle phase brilliantly. Mithali Ayodhya also impressed with 2/34, removing both Dilara Akter and Rabeya Khan. Sugandika Kumari remained tidy with 0/29, while Kavisha Dilhari bowled economically for 0/23 and helped build pressure from one end.
Harshitha Samarawickrama’s match-winning fifty, Imesha Dulani’s valuable support, and Chamari Athapaththu’s all-round brilliance proved too much for Bangladesh Women. Despite Shorna Akter’s fighting half-century, Bangladesh could not recover from their middle-order collapse. With this 25-run victory, Sri Lanka Women showcased why they remain one of the strongest teams in women’s cricket, delivering a complete team performance from start to finish.
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