Top Performers: Sri Lanka W vs Pakistan W

Gunaratne's century powers Sri Lanka to easy chase

Vishmi Gunaratne's unbeaten 123 off 123 balls steered Sri Lanka to a straightforward eight-wicket victory at Hambantota, the opener's measured innings laying the platform for a chase that never wavered. Sri Lanka reached 275 for 2 in 46.5 overs, comfortably clearing Pakistan's 273 for 5.

Harshitha Samarawickrama provided the perfect foil, matching Gunaratne's century with 100 off 119 deliveries. The pair's partnership meant Sri Lanka never needed to accelerate hard - they simply accumulated, controlled the chase, and won with 19 balls unused.

Pakistan's Sidra Amin had given her side substance with a century of her own, 100 off 120 balls, while Ayesha Zafar added 49. Yet Pakistan's total, built across the full 50 overs, proved insufficient. Amin's effort went largely unrewarded; Sri Lanka's openers simply out-batted them in a lower-pressure scenario.

The difference lay in execution. Sri Lanka's bowlers - Chamari Athapaththu and Chethana Vimukthi taking one apiece - kept Pakistan's scoring manageable. When it came to the chase, Gunaratne and Samarawickrama showed the discipline to bat long and the skill to find boundaries when needed. Two centuries in one innings is rare; two in a losing effort rarer still.