Limansa Thilakarathna and Sanjana Kavindi Lead Sri Lanka U-19 Women Past Pakistan for a Fourth Straight Win
AI-generated illustration. No authentic match photograph has been reproduced; photographs in the source coverage are rights-protected.
Sri Lanka’s women’s Under-19 team maintained its unbeaten run in the 2026/27 Tri-Nation T20 Series with a six-wicket win over Pakistan at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad on 12 October. The result, Sri Lanka’s fourth consecutive victory, kept the team at the top of the standings with eight points and confirmed a campaign built on contributions across both bowling and batting.
Pakistan made 105 for 8 from 20 overs, but Sri Lanka reached 106 for 4 in 13.3 overs, with 39 balls remaining. Leg-spinner Limansa Thilakarathna was named Player of the Match after taking three wickets for 14 runs in two overs and finishing unbeaten on 16. At the top of the order, Sanjana Kavindi set the pace with an assured 46 from 28 deliveries.
The result also ended Pakistan’s chance of reaching the final. The hosts had collected two points from six matches, while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had already secured qualification. Their final league meeting was scheduled for 14 October at the same venue, ahead of the final at Iqbal Stadium on 16 October.
Thilakarathna makes her impact
Pakistan’s innings was contained by a Sri Lankan attack that took wickets at important stages. Aqsa Habib scored 20, while Shahar Bano remained not out on 24 as Pakistan finished on 105 for 8.
Thilakarathna was brought into the attack late, but made an immediate impression. She caught Aqsa Habib off her own bowling, then dismissed Alzoha Hammad and Afsheen Imran. Her two wickets in successive deliveries during the 14th over checked Pakistan’s attempt to build momentum and left Sri Lanka with a manageable target.
Sixteen-year-old fast bowler Yeshali Jithara also contributed with two wickets for 20 in three overs. Captain Chamudi Praboda returned figures of one for nine, and Nethmi Upeksha took one for eight, helping keep Pakistan’s total within reach.
The performance adds to a promising record for Thilakarathna, the daughter of Sri Lankan cricket great Tillakaratne Dilshan. Her achievement is significant in its own right: she is shaping her place in the team as a capable all-rounder, with contributions that have extended beyond this match.
Earlier in the series, she took two wickets for 24 runs against Pakistan. In the following match against Bangladesh, she scored the winning runs when Sri Lanka needed two from the final ball. Her youth cricket record also offers useful context. At the 2025 Under-19 T20 World Cup, she took seven wickets in four innings, the second-highest tally for Sri Lanka, at an economy rate of 3.07. In April, she claimed 11 wickets in four youth T20 internationals during an Under-19 tri-series in Australia, which also featured England.
AI-generated illustration of an attacking batting moment; it is not a photograph from the Faisalabad match.
Kavindi sets the pace in the chase
Sri Lanka’s reply was led by opener Sanjana Kavindi, whose 46 from 28 balls included five fours and two sixes. Her positive start gave the chase momentum without taking away from the measured contributions that followed.
Vimoksha Balasuriya made 10 before being dismissed, and Nethmi Upeksha added 16 from nine balls, including three fours. Kavindi, who had been seeking a third consecutive half-century, was dismissed by off-spinner Rozina Akram in the 10th over. Her innings had nevertheless placed Sri Lanka firmly on course.
Thilakarathna remained at the crease, scoring an unbeaten 16 from 22 balls as Sri Lanka moved towards the target. With the scores level at 105, Shashini Gimhani was run out. Umayangana Peiris then scored the winning run, completing a chase that required no further scramble and leaving Sri Lanka 39 balls to spare.
That closing sequence reflected the value of contributions throughout the order. Kavindi’s brisk start had reduced the pressure, while Thilakarathna’s composure helped carry the innings through its final stages.
Consistency and momentum
Kavindi’s innings was another notable contribution in a tournament in which she has been one of Sri Lanka’s most consistent batters. Her 46 put the side in control, and the pursuit of another half-century underlined the reliability she has brought to the top of the order. Although she fell short of that milestone, her partnership-building and scoring tempo were central to the outcome.
For Sri Lanka, the win represents more than another result in the table. Four consecutive victories have kept the team unbeaten and given players in different roles opportunities to influence matches. The bowlers restricted Pakistan to a chaseable total; the top order responded with intent; and Thilakarathna contributed in both innings.
Captain Chamudi Praboda said the players remained committed to maintaining their winning momentum. That focus will be tested in the final league match against Bangladesh, which offers both qualified teams another opportunity to sharpen their preparations before the title match.
A promising generation
Sri Lanka’s progress in Faisalabad has been shaped by individual performances as well as collective discipline. Thilakarathna’s emergence as an all-round contributor, Kavindi’s consistency at the top, and useful support from Jithara, Upeksha and Praboda point to a group developing depth across the team.
For supporters following women’s cricket in Sri Lanka and around the world, the series provides an encouraging view of the next generation. The team has combined effective bowling with purposeful batting, while continuing to find different players capable of making decisive contributions. The final league match on 14 October will be followed by the final on 16 October, with Sri Lanka carrying an unbeaten record into the tournament’s closing stage.
Sources:
- CounterPoint: Sri Lanka U-19 women beat Pakistan by six wickets to stay top of tri-series
- Wisden: Limansa Thilakarathna, Dilshan’s daughter, dumps Pakistan out of U19 tri-series with all-round outing
- Female Cricket: Sanjana Kavindi’s blazing 46 powers Sri Lanka U19 Women to comfortable win over Pakistan U19
This article was written based on the sources https://counterpoint.lk/sri-lanka-u-19-women-beat-pakistan-by-six-wickets-to-stay-top-of-tri-series/, https://www.wisden.com/cricket-news/limansa-thilakarathna-dilshans-daughter-dumps-pakistan-out-of-u19-tri-series-with-all-round-outing and https://femalecricket.com/pakistan-womens-u19-t20-tri-series-2026/98357-sanjana-kavindis-blazing-46-powers-sri-lanka-u19-women-to-comfortable-win-over-pakistan-u19.html, kindly email us at info@eLanka.com.au if any information needs to be corrected.
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