Lineups and betting tips for 2nd T20I
Dambulla
Pakistan and Sri Lanka meet again on Sunday at Dambulla in the Dafabet Sponsored series with the tourists needing a response after a chastening opening defeat leaves them staring down the barrel of the series.
Imesha Dulani’s unbeaten 101 off 64 balls which was built on 17 fours and studded with a rapid start against Humna Bilal put Sri Lanka firmly in charge of the first match.
Chamari Athapaththu’s 39 off 22 in support meant that the hosts have real batting depth and confidence.
Pakistan can still draw encouragement from their top order.
Shawaal Zulfiqar’s 63 off 41 and Muneeba Ali’s 42 off 24, including 41 inside the powerplay, show the runs are there.
Their problem was closing out the innings as they managed only 49 from the last five overs after reaching 127 for 2.
Women in Green have already lost the ODI series 2-1 and they must now win both remaining T20s to avoid a second consecutive series defeat on this tour.
Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan Women 2nd T20I Prediction: Who Will Win?
Sri Lanka are looking better of the two sides by distance. They are riding a three-match winning streak against Pakistan across formats and playing with a freedom their opponents have not yet match.
Their bowling remains beatable though as Zulfiqar and Muneeba showed but the batting has answers for most situations, whether through Athapaththu’s aggression or Dulani’s newfound composure under pressure.
Pakistan’s powerplay hitting in the last match gives some hope to the visitors but their middle order has looked brittle when games have tightened, a pattern likely to resurface if Sri Lanka’s spinners strangle the middle overs again.
