Pakistan Women have taken control of Sl-w Vs PAKW, beating Sri Lanka Women by five wickets in the opener and moving 1-0 ahead in the series. The next meeting comes on Saturday in Hambantota, where Sri Lanka Women now need a response to avoid handing the contest away with a match still left to play.
The first ODI turned on Pakistan’s bowlers and a calm chase. Nashra Sandhu finished with three for 42, while Gull Feroza made 78 and Sidra Amin added 57 to settle the result. For Sri Lanka, the first five overs offered hope. Vishmi Gunaratne and Chamari Athapaththu put on 31 runs inside that spell, and the innings briefly looked set. Then Pakistan’s spinners took control, and the lower order collapsed around them, with Sri Lanka finishing with scores of 3, 2, 2, 0 and 1 from the tail.
That is why Saturday matters. A second straight defeat would give Pakistan the series with one match still to play, and the numbers at the ground tilt further toward the side batting second, with chasing teams winning more often than not across 30 completed matches. Pakistan’s likely XI is built around Sadaf Shamas, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali, Ayesha Zafar, Sidra Amin, Nashra Sandhu, Waheeda Akhtar, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tasmia Rubab, Fatima Sana and Umm-e-Hani, while Sri Lanka are expected to look again to Vishmi Gunaratne, Chamari Athapaththu, Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani, Rashmika Sewwandi, Dewmi Vihanga, Nimasha Meepage and Inoka Ranaweera.
For Sri Lanka, the match still comes back to Athapaththu. She helped launch the innings in the opener, but the challenge now is turning that start into a score that lasts long enough to put Pakistan under pressure. If Pakistan’s top order settles again and the spin attack repeats the first ODI pattern, the series could be decided before the final game arrives.
