Sri Lanka Women, for the second successive match, successfully chased down a formidable target to comfortably beat Pakistan Women by six wickets and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series in Dambulla on Sunday. This was Sri Lanka’s first T20I series win over Pakistan in 12 years.

17-year-old debutant Sanjana Kavindi scored 46 and was later adjudged player of the match, captain Chamari Athapaththu 40, Harshitha Samarawickrama 37 not out and Vishmi Gunaratne 31 as Sri Lanka took full advantage of Pakistan’s poor fielding to achieve the 176-run target with 14 balls to spare.

The 353-run fest saw a total of 49 fours and nine sixes being hit by either side – almost identical figures to the first T20I, when 353 runs were scored in 39 overs with 49 fours and six sixes.

Athapaththu’s quickfire 40 off 15 balls included five fours and three sixes. When she reached 37, she became the fourth batter after Suzie Bates (4,758), Smriti Mandhana (4,538) and Harmanpreet Kaur (4,216) to complete 4,000 runs in T20Is.

After Athapaththu’s departure, Sanjana led the run-charge with a fine 46 off 24 balls with six fours and two sixes. Following Sanjana’s departure, Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama scored 31 (29b, 4 x 4) and 37 not out (22b, 8 x 4), respectively, and featured in a 40-run partnership off 29 balls for the fourth wicket. When the partnership ended with Gunaratne’s departure, Sri Lanka needed 28 runs off 29 balls.

Athapaththu’s onslaught allowed Sri Lanka to post 62 for two in the PowerPlay, while Kavindi’s blitz in the middle of the innings took the home side to 104 for two. Gunaratne and Samarawickrama then carried the momentum in the back end of the innings to steer their side home with ease.

Earlier, Muneeba Ali made the right call on the spin of the coin and, in association with Shawaal Zulfiqar, collected 68 runs in the PowerPlay. Young Eyman Fatima, in partnership with Eman Naseer, ended the innings with a flourish when they added 60 runs in the last six overs to help Pakistan post 175 for five.

Muneeba followed her Friday’s 24-ball 42 with 45 from 30 balls with six fours and a six, while Shawaal, who scored a 41-ball 63 in the first T20I, made 48 from 35 balls with eight fours. The two batted unselfishly, adding 90 runs for the first wicket in 59 balls.

After Pakistan slipped from 90 for no loss in 9.5 overs to 129 for four in 15.3 overs, 21-year-old Eyman Fatima rose to the occasion, hitting a rapid 17-ball 30 not out with three fours and two sixes. She dominated a 44-run fifth-wicket partnership off 26 balls with Eman Naseer, who scored a run-a-ball 21.

Scores in brief:

2nd T20I – Sri Lanka Women beat Pakistan Women by six wickets, Dambulla

PAKISTAN WOMEN 175-5, 20 overs (Shawaal Zulfiqar 48, Muneeba Ali 45, Eyman Fatima 30 not out, Eman Naseer 21, Saira Jabeen 16; Chamudi Praboda 2-27)

SRI LANKA WOMEN 178-4, 17.4 overs (Sanjana Kavindi 46, Chamari Athapaththu 40, Harshitha Samarawickrama 37 not out, Vishmi Gunaratne 31; Umm-e-Hani 2-28)

PLAYER OF THE MATCH – Sanjana Kavindi (Sri Lanka)

First T20I – Sri Lanka Women beat Pakistan Women by six wickets, Dambulla

3rd T20I – Tuesday, 4 August