Bangladesh women’s cricket team faced a 25-run defeat against Sri Lanka in the first match of the three-game T20i series at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Despite Shorna Akter’s impressive 60 runs off 45 balls, Bangladesh fell short in their chase of 162 runs for victory, finishing at 136 for seven in 20 overs. Shorna’s innings included four boundaries and two sixes, but she lacked significant support as wickets tumbled.
Sri Lanka, batting first, set a challenging target of 161/4. Harshitha Samarawickrama and Imesha Dulani both scored half-centuries, with Samarawickrama making 61 off 35 balls and Dulani contributing 55 off 40 deliveries. Although Sri Lanka lost Hasini Perera early, a 42-run partnership between skipper Chamari Athapaththu and Dulani stabilized the innings. Athapaththu scored 32 before being dismissed by Sultana Khatun.
The match turned in Sri Lanka’s favor during an 80-run partnership between Dulani and Samarawickrama, helping them achieve their highest WT20I total against Bangladesh. Despite Nahida dismissing Dulani after her fifty, Samarawickrama continued aggressively, hitting five fours and two sixes. Bangladesh started their chase well but suffered a collapse after losing Juairiya Ferdous, going from 39 without loss to 44 for four quickly. Despite Shorna’s efforts, Bangladesh couldn’t meet the required rate.
