Sri Lanka Women level ODI series with dominant win over Pakistan as Vishmi and Harshitha script history. In a clinical chase at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota on July 25, 2026, Vishmi Gunaratne and Harshitha Samarawickrama put together an unbroken 203-run stand that erased the previous mark for the highest partnership for any wicket in Sri Lanka Women’s ODI history, steering the hosts to an eight-wicket victory over Pakistan and squaring the three-match series at 1-1 ahead of the decider.
Sidra Amin’s Century Sets Up a Tricky Chase
Pakistan had given themselves every chance of a series-clinching win after opener Sidra Amin ground out an unbeaten 100 from 120 balls, laced with 13 boundaries, to anchor the innings to 273 for 5 in 50 overs. Ayesha Zafar chipped in with 49 and Muneeba Ali added 45, giving Pakistan’s middle order enough depth to push the total past 270 – historically a competitive score on a Hambantota surface that tends to slow up as the innings wears on. Sri Lanka’s bowling effort was shared around rather than dominated by any one name, with Chamari Athapaththu, Chethana Vimukthi, Inoka Ranaweera and Kavisha Dilhari all picking up a wicket apiece as they leaked runs but kept the required rate from spiralling out of reach.
An Early Blow, Then a Record-Breaking Response
Sri Lanka lost a wicket early in the chase, a moment that would have handed Pakistan’s bowlers a sliver of momentum against a batting order missing captain Athapaththu’s runs at the top. Instead, Gunaratne and Samarawickrama came together at number three and four and simply refused to let the innings drift. What followed was 203 runs of increasingly assured stroke-play, the pair mixing watchful defense in the middle overs with calculated aggression once the field began to spread. By the time Samarawickrama brought up her century, the required rate had all but evaporated and Pakistan’s bowling attack, so disciplined in patches, had no answer left.
The Numbers Behind the Record Stand
Gunaratne’s 123 came off 123 deliveries, featuring 11 fours and a six, while Samarawickrama finished unbeaten on 100 from 119 balls with nine boundaries of her own. Sri Lanka reached 275 for 2 in 46.5 overs, comfortably inside the 50-over allocation, sealing the win with more than three overs to spare. The 203-run partnership surpassed the previous best for any wicket in the format for Sri Lanka Women, a mark that had stood for years and underlines how far the batting depth in this Sri Lankan side has developed over the past two seasons under a revamped domestic structure.
Two Ways to Read This Result
For Sri Lanka, the result is proof that their top order is no longer a one-woman show built around Athapaththu’s fireworks; Gunaratne and Samarawickrama have now shown, in the biggest possible moment, that they can construct an innings from first ball to last without the captain’s runs. For Pakistan, the picture is less flattering but not without positives – Amin’s century shows the top order can still post competitive totals away from home, but a bowling attack that could not manufacture a second breakthrough once the record stand got going will be the primary concern heading into the decider. Pakistan’s think tank now faces a selection dilemma over whether to freshen up the bowling combination or trust the same group to learn from Hambantota’s flat conditions.
What’s Next: A Series Decider With Everything on the Line
The three-match series now moves to its finale, with both sides tied at 1-1 and a genuine decider on the cards at the same Hambantota venue. Sri Lanka will look to ride the momentum from their record stand and a bowling unit that, while wicket-light, did enough to restrict Pakistan to a chaseable total. Pakistan, for their part, will need either a bigger total behind Amin’s proven form at the top or a sharper bowling plan to prevent another middle-order partnership from running away with the game. Whichever way the decider swings, Gunaratne and Samarawickrama’s 203 has already reset the benchmark for what a Sri Lankan partnership can produce under pressure, and it is a number opposition bowling attacks will now have to plan around.