Sri Lanka beat host Bangladesh, hit winning form ahead of T20 World Cup

Sylhet [Bangladesh], April 30 (ANI): Sri Lanka has built strong momentum ahead of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 with a dominant showing against Bangladesh. After sealing the ODI series 2-1, the visitors followed it up by winning the first two T20Is of the three-match series, gaining valuable confidence heading into the marquee tournament.

In the first T20I, Sri Lanka posted 161 on the back of solid knocks from Imesha Dulani (55) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (61). A disciplined bowling effort then saw them restrict Bangladesh to 136, sealing a comfortable 25-run victory in the series opener, according to the ICC.

The second T20I saw another clinical effort from Sri Lanka. Batting first once again, they posted 154, with Chamari Athapaththu (42) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (49) forming the backbone of the innings. A disciplined bowling performance, led by Kavisha Dilhari's 2/15, then restricted Bangladesh to 133, sealing a 21-run win.

For Sri Lanka, the third and final T20I will serve as the last opportunity to fine-tune their lineup ahead of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026, which begins on June 12.

Sri Lanka have featured in every edition of the tournament since its inception in 2009 but are yet to progress to the knockout stages. They will be keen to change that this year, starting with their opening fixture against hosts England, which also marks the first game of the tournament.

For Bangladesh, it will be back to the drawing board after a disappointing start to the series. The Tigresses have struggled to challenge Sri Lanka in the first two T20Is and will be keen to turn things around in the final game.

Bangladesh, however, have more game time ahead of them. Following the Sri Lanka series, they are set to take part in a tri-series alongside Scotland and Netherlands, which will serve as crucial preparation for all sides. Similar to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh have also been unable to progress to the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup since making their debut in 2014.

Bangladesh will kick off their T20 World Cup campaign against tournament debutants Netherlands on June 14.(ANI)

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