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Sri Lanka Women won the three-match T20I series against Pakistan Women 2-1 at Dambulla. Imesha Dulani’s 101* in the first match and debutant Sanjana Kavindi’s 46 in the second sealed the series with a match to spare, before Pakistan Women claimed a four-wicket consolation in the dead rubber on August 4. Dulani was named Player of the Series with 123 runs.
Three matches, three gripping contests, and a series that showed Sri Lanka Women at the peak of their powers and Pakistan at their fighting best when it no longer mattered. Sri Lanka took the T20I series 2-1, following up a dominant ODI series win with another demonstration of batting depth — Dulani with a century in the first match, Kavindi with a debut half-century in the second — before Pakistan signed off with a four-wicket consolation in the dead rubber.
Dambulla, Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu’s Sri Lanka Women had swept the ODI phase of this tour 2-1, handed Pakistan their heaviest batting defeat against Sri Lanka on home soil, and rebuilt a team that, a year ago, was in transition. The T20I series at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium told the same story in shorter format — dominant in the first two games, careless in the third — while confirming that the women’s game in Sri Lanka has a depth of batting talent it has not enjoyed for a generation.
1st T20I (July 31): Dulani Makes History
Pakistan elected to field and their decision looked astute when their opening pair dismantled the powerplay. Muneeba Ali made 42 from 24 balls, and Shawaal Zulfiqar — playing in her first WT20I half-century — hit 63 from 41 balls with 10 fours and a six, the two sharing a 66-run opening stand before Sri Lanka’s spinners broke through. Kavisha Dilhari and Chamudi Praboda shared the wickets as Pakistan’s middle order built steadily. They finished at 176 for 7.
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It wasn’t enough. Athapaththu set the tone with 39 from 22 balls before Nashra Sandhu removed her, but by then Imesha Dulani was already in full flow. The 24-year-old opener played one of the great women’s T20I innings seen on this ground: 101 not out from 64 balls, 17 fours and a six. She became only the second Sri Lanka Women’s player to score a T20I century after Athapaththu, and only the fifth Sri Lanka woman ever to post triple figures across formats. Sri Lanka chased 177 down in 19 overs, winning by six wickets with six balls to spare. Dulani was named Player of the Match.
2nd T20I (August 2): Kavindi Stars on Debut, Series Sealed
Pakistan came back with essentially the same game plan — Shawaal top-scoring again with 48 from 35 balls, Muneeba’s 68-without-loss powerplay launching the innings. Their total of 175 for 5 was competitive, and for a period in the middle overs the match looked tighter than the first.
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Then Athapaththu arrived and removed any doubt. The skipper made 40 from just 15 balls — a blizzard of fours through the off side — before being caught at deep midwicket, having been given a life by Muneeba who dropped her on 30. Sri Lanka were 62 for 2 at the powerplay.
The player who finished it was debutant Sanjana Kavindi. Dropped on 15 at short cover and again on 23 at mid-on, she refused to be unsettled — punishing both misses with back-to-back sixes off Nashra Sandhu and playing with a composure that belied her inexperience. Her 46 from 24 balls, alongside Harshitha Samarawickrama’s composed 37 not out, saw Sri Lanka home by six wickets with 14 balls to spare. Series sealed.
“Doing that in a partnership with Athapaththu is a really special moment for me,” Kavindi said, collecting the Player of the Match award on debut.
3rd T20I (August 4): Pakistan Sign Off With Consolation Win
The third match was a dead rubber but Pakistan played it like it mattered. Opting to field first, they restricted Sri Lanka to 113 for 6 — the Dambulla surface slower and grippier than it had been across the first two matches, Sri Lanka’s batting unable to find the fluency of the previous two evenings despite Athapaththu’s 31 providing the backbone of a difficult innings.
Chasing 114, Pakistan were tested. They fell to 105 for 6 — three wickets down in the final five overs — before Ayesha Zafar, who had been their most consistent batting presence throughout the chase, steadied the ship. Her 39 from 31 balls was the decisive knock, and she added a wicket with the ball too. Pakistan crossed the line with 10 balls to spare, winning by four wickets and claiming the consolation their fighting cricket had deserved at moments across the tour.
Zafar was named Player of the Match. Imesha Dulani, with 123 runs from just two innings, was named Player of the Series — the highest aggregate by any batter across the three-match T20I series.
Sri Lanka’s Momentum Builds
The series result — Sri Lanka Women 2-1 over Pakistan — confirms a pattern of bilateral dominance that Athapaththu’s side have established in 2026: wins over West Indies (2-0 in March), Bangladesh (3-0 in April) and now Pakistan. For Sri Lanka Women, the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup at year’s end arrives with a team in form, a batting depth they haven’t had in years, and a captain still performing at her very best.
For Pakistan, Shawaal Zulfiqar’s emergence as a consistent T20I opener and Muneeba Ali’s leadership in Fatima Sana’s absence were genuine positives. The bowling, which kept Sri Lanka to 113 in the dead rubber, showed what it can be when applied with discipline. The fielding — four combined drops across the first two matches including the costly Athapaththu reprieve — remains the area that cost them most dearly when it mattered.
1st T20I (July 31, Dambulla): Pakistan Women 176/7 (20 overs) — Shawaal Zulfiqar 63 (41), Muneeba Ali 42 (24); Kavisha Dilhari 2-36 Sri Lanka Women 177/4 (19 overs) — Imesha Dulani 101* (64), Chamari Athapaththu 39 (22); Nashra Sandhu 2-25 Result: Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets (6 balls remaining) | POTM: Imesha Dulani
2nd T20I (August 2, Dambulla): Pakistan Women 175/5 (20 overs) — Shawaal Zulfiqar 48 (35) Sri Lanka Women 178/4 (17.4 overs) — Chamari Athapaththu 40 (15), Sanjana Kavindi 46 (24), Harshitha Samarawickrama 37* Result: Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets (14 balls remaining) | POTM: Sanjana Kavindi (debut)
3rd T20I (August 4, Dambulla): Sri Lanka Women 113/6 (20 overs) — Chamari Athapaththu 31 Pakistan Women 115/6 (18.2 overs) — Ayesha Zafar 39 (31) & 1/6 Result: Pakistan won by 4 wickets (10 balls remaining) | POTM: Ayesha Zafar
Series result: Sri Lanka Women won 2-1
Player of the Series: Imesha Dulani (SL) — 123 runs
Note: Imesha Dulani became only the second Sri Lanka Women’s T20I centurion after Chamari Athapaththu
