Sri Lanka produced a commanding all-round performance to defeat Pakistan by nine wickets in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up match at the County Ground on Saturday. Chasing a competitive target of 169, Sri Lanka raced to victory with eight balls to spare, thanks to a superb 159-run opening partnership between captain Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne. Athapaththu led the charge with a scintillating 94 off 58 balls, striking nine fours and five sixes, while Gunaratne remained unbeaten on 63 from 40 balls. Harshitha Samarawickrama then completed the chase alongside Gunaratne after Athapaththu fell in the 18th over. Pakistan's bowlers struggled to contain the aggressive Sri Lankan batting, with skipper Fatima Sana claiming the only wicket of the innings.
Earlier, Pakistan posted 168-8 after being put under pressure by Sri Lanka's disciplined bowling attack. Openers Muneeba Ali and Gull Feroza provided a bright start with a 60-run stand, with Muneeba scoring a brisk 36 off 21 balls. However, Pakistan suffered a middle-order collapse and slipped to 105-6 before captain Fatima and Aliya Riaz revived the innings with a valuable partnership. Aliya contributed 22 off 16 balls, while Fatima top-scored with a fighting 37 off 26, hitting four boundaries and a six to guide Pakistan to a respectable total. Chethana Vimukthi claimed 4-31, while Sugandika Kumari, Nimasha Meepage and Madara chipped in with one wicket each.
