Athapaththu's All-Round Heroics Put Sri Lanka Ahead in T20I Series

Sri Lanka Women secured a 2-0 win over West Indies Women in the T20I series, with the first match washed out due to rain. In the third and final match, Sri Lanka chased down a target of 120 with nine wickets in hand and more than two overs to spare. Hasini Perera anchored the innings with an unbeaten 52 off 59 balls, supported by captain Chamari Athapaththu's 32 and Imesha Dulani's unbeaten 34. Inoka Ranaweera and Sugandika Kumari claimed two wickets each for Sri Lanka. Ranaweera then struck with her second ball, prising out Shawnisha Hector, before Sugandika picked up a third wicket in the powerplay in the form of Eboni Brathwaite. Deandra Dottin struck three fours in her first ten balls as West Indies ended the powerplay on a high but slowed down spectacularly after that, only managing 28 off 39 balls as West Indies added just 34 runs in the ten overs after the end of the powerplay. Chinelle Henry's explosive 32 off 15 balls helped West Indies recover from 83/5 in the 18th over to 119/5 at the end of their 20 overs, with Sri Lanka's spinners limiting the damage. Henry's innings included some big hits, taking 36 runs off the last two overs. Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani sealed the deal for Sri Lanka, putting on an unbroken 72-run partnership for the second wicket. With the target within reach, they focused on rotating the strike, and Perera brought up her fifty off 58 balls. Dulani finished the game in style, hitting a four off Matthews to secure a 9-wicket win and a 2-0 series victory for Sri Lanka, adding to their ODI series win (2-1). Sri Lanka's chase got off to a blazing start, with captain Chamari Athapaththu smashing four fours in the first three overs. They racked up 48 runs in the powerplay without losing a wicket, setting a solid platform for the win. Athapaththu's 32 off 22 balls fell soon after, but Sri Lanka cruised to a 9-wicket win. Sri Lanka Women secured a comfortable 9-wicket win over West Indies Women in the 3rd T20I, thanks to Hasini Perera's unbeaten 52 and strong bowling performances from Sugandika Kumari and Inoka Ranaweera. Sugandika's early strike, catching and bowling Hayley Matthews for 8, set the tone for Sri Lanka's dominant display. This win helped Sri Lanka secure the T20I series 2-0, with the first match washed out due to rain.