Dulani's Maiden T20I Century Powers Sri Lanka to Six-Wicket Win Over Pakistan

Imesha Dulani produced the innings of her career with a sensational unbeaten 101 off 64 balls as Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the opening T20 International, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Chasing a challenging target of 177, Sri Lanka reached 177 for 4 with one over to spare, thanks to a dominant batting display led by Dulani and captain Chamari Athapaththu. Dulani's century was the fifth by a Sri Lankan in Women's T20 Internationals and the first by a player other than Athapaththu.

Athapaththu provided an explosive start, scoring 39 off just 22 deliveries, while Dulani anchored the chase with remarkable composure. The pair laid the foundation with an aggressive powerplay that yielded 67 runs, keeping the required run rate firmly under control.

Dulani launched her attack early, striking four boundaries in a single over off Humna Bilal. Although Sri Lanka lost wickets during the middle overs, the 24-year-old maintained her calm, rotating the strike effectively and punishing loose deliveries. Her unbeaten knock featured 17 fours and one six, with the landmark century coming off just 63 balls.

Earlier, Pakistan posted an imposing 176 for 7 after a commanding start from their opening pair. Muneeba Ali set the tone with a quickfire 42 off 24 balls, including 41 runs during the powerplay, while Shawaal Zulfiqar anchored the innings with a well-made 63 off 41 deliveries.

Pakistan raced to 64 without loss in the first six overs and appeared on course for a total well beyond 180. However, Sri Lanka's bowlers pulled things back in the closing stages, restricting Pakistan to 49 runs in the final five overs after they had reached 127 for 2. Right-arm spinner Kavisha Dilhari was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2 for 36.

For Pakistan, left-arm spinner Nashra Sandhu claimed 2 for 25, dismissing Athapaththu and another batter, but received little support from the rest of the bowling attack as Sri Lanka's batters dominated throughout the chase.

With the victory, Sri Lanka now lead the three-match T20I series 1-0. Pakistan, who also lost the preceding ODI series 2-1, must win both remaining matches to avoid finishing the tour without a series victory.