Sri Lanka Women vs Pakistan Women Athapaththu Powers Big Win

Sri Lanka Women vs Pakistan Women Warm Up Match Athapaththu Blazes 94 In Dominant Nine Wicket Victory

Sri Lanka Women began their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Pakistan Women by nine wickets at the County Ground in Derby. Led by a sensational innings from captain Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka chased down a challenging target of 169 with ease, sending a strong message ahead of the main tournament.

Short Scorecard Summary

Pakistan Women 168/8 in 20 overs

• Fatima Sana 37

• Muneeba Ali 36

• Chethana Vimukthi 4 wickets

Sri Lanka Women 169/1 in 18.3 overs

• Chamari Athapaththu 94

• Vishmi Gunaratne 63 not out

Result: Sri Lanka Women won by 9 wickets

The match showcased Sri Lanka's growing confidence and balance, with both their bowlers and batters delivering impressive performances. While Pakistan managed to post a competitive total, they ultimately had no answer to Athapaththu's aggressive stroke play and Sri Lanka's dominant batting display.

Pakistan Post Competitive Total

After being asked to bat, Pakistan Women got off to a steady start through openers Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza. The pair laid a solid platform before Sri Lanka struck back through their bowling attack.

Muneeba Ali contributed 36 runs, while Pakistan captain Fatima Sana played an excellent late cameo, smashing 37 runs from just 26 deliveries. Her aggressive innings helped Pakistan reach 168/8 in their allotted 20 overs.

For Sri Lanka, Chethana Vimukthi was the standout performer with the ball. The seamer picked up four crucial wickets and prevented Pakistan from pushing beyond the 170-run mark. Nimasha Meepage also provided good support as Sri Lanka maintained control during the middle overs.

Chamari Athapaththu Takes Charge

Chasing 169, Sri Lanka produced one of the most impressive batting displays of the warm-up fixtures. Captain Chamari Athapaththu immediately put Pakistan's bowlers under pressure with a fearless approach.

The experienced left-hander smashed 94 runs from only 58 balls, striking nine boundaries and five towering sixes. She dominated the powerplay and continued attacking throughout the innings, keeping the required run rate comfortably under control.

Athapaththu and opener Vishmi Gunaratne built a massive opening partnership that effectively ended Pakistan's hopes of defending the total. Gunaratne played the perfect supporting role, remaining unbeaten on 63 and rotating the strike efficiently while also finding boundaries when required.

Pakistan finally managed a breakthrough when Fatima Sana dismissed Athapaththu in the 18th over. However, the result was already beyond doubt. Harshitha Samarawickrama joined Gunaratne to complete the chase as Sri Lanka reached 169/1 in just 18.3 overs.

Positive Signs Before The World Cup

The victory will provide Sri Lanka with plenty of confidence heading into the Women's T20 World Cup. Athapaththu's form is a major boost, while the contributions from Gunaratne and the bowling unit highlight the team's growing depth.

Pakistan showed glimpses of promise through Fatima Sana and Muneeba Ali, but their bowling attack struggled to contain Sri Lanka's aggressive batting lineup. The team will look to address those concerns before the tournament begins.

With a dominant nine-wicket victory, Sri Lanka have announced themselves as a side capable of challenging stronger teams during the World Cup.