ENG-W vs SL-W: Sri Lanka record first-ever series victory over England led by Chamari Athapaththu’s all-round masterclass

ENG-W vs SL-W: The third T20 international between Sri Lanka and England ended in a remarkable seven-wicket victory for the visitors, giving them their first-ever white-ball series triumph over England.

The game’s standout, Chamari Athapaththu, claimed 3-21 with the bat before slugging 44 off 28 balls to seal a 2-1 series victory.

England, which defeated the T20 series winner Australia in the women’s Ashes in July, was held to 116 all out from 19 overs.

The Sri Lankan captain Athapaththu then assumed command, leading her country to its first-ever T20 victory over England on Saturday with a half-century.

ENG-W vs SL-W: Chamari Athapaththu-led Sri Lanka record first-ever series win over England

At the start of the third game at Derby’s County Ground, where the series was tied at 1-1, Sri Lanka’s skipper won the toss and elected to field first. This choice was supported by his bowlers. The English batters gave up under strain, so Kavisha Dilhari (3-0-16-2), Inoshi Priyadharshani (2-0-15-1), Udeshika Prabodhani (3-0-16-2) and Inoka Ranaweera (3-0-20-1) were unrelenting in their approach.

Athapaththu contributed well with the ball and took three wickets on her own to keep England to 116 runs in just 19 overs. Athapaththu again led the charge for Sri Lanka and got them off to a flying start as they chased down 117 to make history. She was dismissed after making 44 runs off just 28 balls, striking five fours and two sixes at a remarkable strike rate of 157.14. With 65 runs scored in 6.4 overs at the time of her departure, the visitors were comfortably leading the game chase.

As they attempted to boost the ante, they lost two more wickets to wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani and Vishmi Gunaratne, but Sri Lanka managed to defeat the score with 18 balls remaining thanks to the efforts of Harshitha Samarawickrama (26* off 28 balls) and Hasini Perera (9* off 13 balls).

Thank you for reading.