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5:18 PM IST, Local Time: What a statement from Sri Lanka Women! They cruise to an eight-wicket victory, chasing down 273 with 19 balls remaining to keep the series alive. A record-breaking 200-plus second-wicket partnership between Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama proved to be the difference.

Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Pakistan made a steady start but lost Sadaf Shamas to a run-out for 12 inside the powerplay, before Gull Feroza and Sidra Amin took them to 47/1 at the end of the Powerplay. A surprise short delivery from Chethana Vimukthi accounted for Feroza for 27, but Sidra continued to look assured and combined with Ayesha Zafar for a valuable 78-run partnership. 

Ayesha Zafar was dismissed for 49, missing out on a well deserved fifty but Sidra went on to bring up her 18th ODI fifty and found an excellent partner in Muneeba Ali, with the pair adding 88 runs for the fourth wicket. Muneeba departed for 45 in the 44th over, but Sidra Amin continued her sensational innings to bring up her seventh ODI century, remaining unbeaten on 100*. A late cameo from Fatima Sana, who scored 25, helped Pakistan finish with a strong 273/5 from their 50 overs.

Chasing 274, Sri Lanka got off to a poor start as they lost their skipper Chamari Athapaththu for just 1 early in the innings. However, Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama steadied the ship with a crucial partnership in the middle, putting the hosts in a strong position. Sri Lanka reached 48/1 at the end of the first powerplay, with the duo continuing to pile on the runs and rotate the strike with ease. Their partnership kept the scoreboard ticking as Sri Lanka brought up their 100 in 19.5 overs.

The duo kept the momentum going and frustrated the Pakistan bowlers as their partnership crossed 200 runs—the first-ever double-century stand for Sri Lanka Women in ODI cricket. After building a rock-solid partnership, the two set batters raised the tempo and took the game away from Pakistan. Vishmi Gunaratne brought up a superb century and continued to bat with authority before Nashra Sandhu finally broke the marathon stand, dismissing her for a brilliant 123 off 123 balls.

Following Vishmi's dismissal, Harshitha reverted to a more cautious approach and stitched together an unbeaten 52-run partnership for the third wicket with Kavisha Dilhari. The left-hander went on to register her second ODI century, remaining unbeaten on 100 off 119 balls, while Kavisha provided excellent support with an unbeaten 40 off 33 deliveries, guiding Sri Lanka to a memorable victory.

The Pakistan bowling attack had an off day, failing to defend 273 as the Sri Lankan batters dominated throughout the chase. Fatima Sana (1/44) and Nashra Sandhu (1/60) were the only wicket-takers for the Women in Green.

Stay tuned for the post-match presentation.....

It's time for the post-match presentation.......

Fatima Sana (Pakistan Women Captain): "[Was that enough total on the board?] No, I still think we could have scored more runs because the wicket is very good for batting.

[What was the discussion at the halfway stage?] Just the usual plans. We need to be more disciplined and accurate with our bowling. I think that's where we fell short today.

[Your spinners bowled really well in the first ODI, but today looked a little out of touch. Do you think the conditions got better for batting in the second innings?] Yeah, I think the pitch was very good for batting, but full credit to them. They played some excellent cricket, and their strike rotation was outstanding."

Player of the Match: Vishmi Gunaratne

Vishmi Gunaratne (POTM): "[Did you make any adjustments coming into the second match?] Yeah, I wanted to have specific plans for these girls. They bowled a lot of slower deliveries, so I had to adjust my plans accordingly.

[What was the discussion like between you and Harshita when Chamari got out early?] I kept talking to myself throughout the innings, saying, 'Stay patient, stay patient, and see the game through.'

[On feeling after returning to the team after injury] I think it was a good break because I got to spend time with my family. It also gave me the chance to reflect on what went wrong and what I needed to do better. Overall, it was a good time for me."

Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka Women Captain): "[You must be mighty pleased with your team's performance?] Yeah, definitely. The way the young, Vishmi and Harshitha, batted made me really happy. They adapted to the conditions, took responsibility, and finished the game. That's a really good sign for the team and for me as well.

[You conceded 273 runs. Do you think that was a few too many? Looking back, do you feel you could have bowled better?] Yeah, definitely. I felt anything around 250 would have been a chaseable total, but unfortunately they managed 273. We weren't disciplined enough with our lines and lengths, and conceded those extra 20–30 runs. That said, full credit to Vishmi and Harshitha. It was a very good batting wicket with very little turn, and they batted exceptionally well."

Highest partnership for any wicket in ODIs for Sri Lanka Women:

203 (2nd wicket)- Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama vs Pakistan Women, Hambantota, 2026 (This Match)

190* (3rd wicket) - Chamari Athapaththu and Nilakshika Silva vs New Zealand Women, Galle, 2023

179* (5th wicket) - Chamari Athapaththu and Nilakshika Silva vs South Africa Women, Potchefstroom, 2024

159 (1st wicket) - Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne vs New Zealand Women, Galle, 2023

152 (3rd wicket)- Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama vs Pakistan Women, Karachi, 2022

~Stat Courtesy: Deepak Prakash

That's all from this engrossing contest, folks! Sri Lanka Women produced an absolute batting masterclass, chasing down 273 with ease to keep the series alive. We hope you enjoyed our coverage. For now, it's me, Deepak Prakash, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator, Pritam Dey, and score analyst, Bishal Mandal. Until next time, take care and goodbye!