BRISTOL, June 23: Sri Lanka bounced back emphatically in Group 2 of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, securing a commanding 9-wicket victory over Ireland at Bristol.
Driven by a masterful, unbeaten century from captain Chamari Athapaththu, Sri Lanka chased down Ireland’s target of 131 in just 15.3 overs to keep their tournament hopes alive.
Winning the toss and electing to field first, Sri Lanka managed to restrict Ireland to 130/5 in their allotted 20 overs.
Ireland’s innings was anchored by a resilient captain’s knock from Gaby Lewis, who scored a vital half-century to give her team a fighting chance. Support came lower down from Alice Tector, but Sri Lanka’s disciplined bowling unit kept the scoring rate in check.
Young spinner Mithali Ayodhya starred with the ball, returning highly economical figures of 1/18, while Sugandika Kumari also picked up 1/26. Athapaththu contributed with the ball as well, taking 1/23.
Sri Lanka’s chase was entirely dominated by Athapaththu, who turned the game into a one-sided affair. After losing opening partner Imesha Dulani (20 off 27 balls) with the score at 98, Athapaththu ensured there were no further hiccups.
Athapaththu smashed her fourth T20I hundred, bringing it up in the 15th over with a drive to long-on.
Fittingly, the skipper hit the winning runs, smashing a boundary off Lara McBride over extra cover to finish unbeaten on 106 off just 61 balls. Nilakshika Silva remained unbeaten on 4 at the other end.
With this victory, Sri Lanka moves to 4 points in Group 2 with one group match remaining against Scotland. However, despite the comprehensive win, their Net Run Rate (NRR) remains at -0.973 due to an earlier heavy defeat. Meanwhile, Ireland remains winless in the tournament and will look to rebuild ahead of their final fixtures. (Agencies)
