Sri Lanka Women began the defence of their Women’s T20 Asia Cup title with a nine-wicket win over the United Arab Emirates at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and chose to field. The UAE were bowled out for 79 in 19.5 overs, Hiru News reported, with captain Esha Oza the only batter to pass 15, top-scoring with 18.
Chethana Vimukthi, playing her first T20 International, took three wickets for 16 runs, and Mithali Ayodhya returned three for 14. Hiru reported two further wickets for Sugandika Kumari. NewsFirst also credited Vimukthi and Ayodhya with three apiece.
Sri Lanka knocked off the target in 7.5 overs, reaching 80 for one. Athapaththu made an unbeaten 48 from 25 balls with seven fours and two sixes, and Imesha Dulani contributed 25.
A milestone for the captain
NewsFirst reported that Athapaththu became the first batter to reach 500 runs in the history of the Women’s Asia Cup. Hiru did not mention the record.
The innings continues a strong run for the captain, who reached a career-best sixth place in the ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings in early August after scores of 39 and 40 against Pakistan in Dambulla.
The tournament
Sri Lanka go into the competition as reigning continental champions. The 15-member squad was named on August 13, with Athapaththu as captain and Harshitha Samarawickrama as vice-captain, for a tournament running in the UAE from August 28 to September 13. Saturday’s match was the second in Group B.
Neither outlet gave Sri Lanka’s remaining group fixtures. The two also differ slightly on player names — Hiru rendered Vimukthi as “Chetana”, and the wicket-taker it named as Sugandika Kumari appears in the August squad announcement as Sugandika Dassanayaka.
The result comes as Sri Lankan cricket administration faces a separate setback off the field, with the ICC moving the inaugural 2027 Women’s Champions Trophy out of the country.
