Sri Lanka's women's cricket team defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in the series decider at Hambantota, claiming a 2-1 series victory. Captain Chamari Athapaththu's all-round performance earned her Player-of-the-Match honors.
Sri Lanka's women's team secured a dominant eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the final ODI of their series in Hambantota, clinching a 2-1 series win. The hosts pursued Pakistan's total of 187 runs with relative ease, reaching their target for the loss of just two wickets in 37.2 overs.
Pakistan's innings never recovered from a devastating early collapse orchestrated by Sri Lanka's pace attack. Chethana Vimukthi claimed three wickets in the second over of the match, removing Sadaf Shamas, Sidra Amin, and Ayesha Zafar in rapid succession to leave the visitors reeling at 10 for 3. Sri Lanka's bowling attack maintained its stranglehold throughout the innings, with Athapaththu and Kavisha Dilhari also taking three wickets each. Pakistan managed to piece together several recovery partnerships, notably a 68-run stand between Gull Feroza and Muneeba Ali, but were unable to build substantial innings as Sri Lanka's bowlers continuously broke through at crucial moments. Fatima Sana fought hard with 41 runs from 49 balls but found limited support from her teammates.
Sri Lanka's chase was anchored by consistent batting performances across the order. Opening pair Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne provided a solid foundation before Gunaratne fell for 12. Athapaththu continued purposefully to reach her 20th ODI fifty, finishing with 52 runs. The decisive partnership came from Hasini Perera and Harshitha Samarawickrama, who added an unbroken 106 runs for the third wicket. Samarawickrama remained unbeaten on 71, striking the winning boundary through extra cover. She was subsequently named Player of the Series, having accumulated 173 runs across the ODI leg, including a century in the second match.
Athapaththu earned Player-of-the-Match recognition for her contributions with both ball and bat. The T20 International segment of Pakistan's tour is scheduled to commence on Friday.
