Women's T20 World Cup 2026: SL W vs IRE W Today's Match Highlights: Unmissable video recap, POTM, match analysis, stats and more

How did Match 20 of the Women's T20 World Cup 2026 go between Sri Lanka Women and Ireland Women?

Sri Lanka beat Ireland by nine wickets to keep their slim chance of reaching the semi-finals alive. This match took place at the County Ground in Bristol on Tuesday, June 23.

Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and elected to field first in the must-win match for Sri Lanka. Amy Hunter was run-out in the first over without opening her account. Orla Prendergast was also dismissed for a duck.

Rebecca Stokell was dismissed for 13 off 12 balls before Leah Paul joined skipper Gaby Lewis in the middle. Paul got stuck at the crease, scoring just 20 off 27 balls before Nilakshika Silva dismissed her. Alice Tector played a fine cameo of 28* off 21 balls, while Lewis top-scored with 59 off 50 deliveries.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening duo of Athapaththu and Imesha Dulani added 98 runs inside 12 overs. However, the bulk of the scoring was done by the former. Dulani was dismissed for 20 off 27 balls by Prendergast.

Athapaththu brought up her fourth T20I century in the 15th over. Nilakshika and Athapaththu took the team home in 15.3 overs with nine wickets to spare.

Best Batting Performance of the Match: Chamari Athapaththu

Chamari Athapaththu was so very disappointed after getting out early in the last game. However, she made no mistake in this one. The legendary southpaw played a captain's knock under pressure and gave her side a comprehensive win.

Best Bowling Performance of the Match: Mithali Ayodhya

The 19-year-old right-arm seamer, Mithali Ayodhya, bowled a terrific spell in helpful conditions. She swung the ball around and eventually finished with figures of 1/18 in four overs, which included a maiden. The youngster kept the Irish batters in check, including the well-set Gaby Lewis.

Who won the Player of the Match award?

It was an obvious choice to hand the Player of the Match award to Athapaththu. She made light work of the Irish bowlers with her remarkable range of strokes. Athapaththu remained unbeaten on 106 off 61 balls, belting 17 fours and two sixes.

When is the next match?

Sri Lanka will play their last game in the group phase on Friday, June 26, against Scotland. Meanwhile, Ireland will finish their campaign on Saturday, when they take on the West Indies.