Sri Lanka Women completed a 3-0 sweep of Bangladesh on Friday, taking the third T20 International by three runs in a rain-shortened contest at Sylhet to cap a dominant tour.
Captain Chamari Athapaththu was the difference, scoring 41 with the bat in a nine-over innings and then taking 2 for 15 with the ball as Sri Lanka defended 87 for 6.
Sent in to bat after a two-and-a-half hour rain delay, Sri Lanka raced to 40 in a three-over powerplay before losing wickets in clusters. Imesha Dulani struck 19 off 10 balls before falling in the fourth over, and Athapaththu held the innings together with five fours and a six. Kavisha Dilhari added 15 off seven balls to push the total past 85.
Bangladesh ended on 84 for 6 in their nine overs. Sobhana Mostary top-scored with 21 and Juairia Ferdous made 15, but Athapaththu’s tight final over — which gave up only a single boundary — sealed it. Captain Nigar Sultana managed 13 off nine balls.
The third match completes a clean sweep that began with a 25-run win in the opening T20I on April 28 and a 21-run victory in the second on April 30. Sri Lanka have now won seven of their last nine white-ball matches against Bangladesh as preparations continue for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup later this year.
Sources: NewsFirst, The Island (game two), The Island (game three).
