Sri Lankan cricket legend Lasith Malinga extended his heartfelt congratulations to the senior national women’s team for securing a historic series triumph in England. In a groundbreaking achievement, the Sri Lanka women’s team accomplished their first-ever series victory against England in any cricket format. This historic 2-1 series win was sealed with an impressive seven-wicket triumph over Heather Knight’s squad in the third T20I match in Derby.

Malinga was effusive in his praise for the character exhibited by the team under the leadership of Chamari Athapaththu. In a tweet, he expressed his admiration for their remarkable feat:

“Congratulations to SL Women’s Cricket team for the historic series win against England. Doing so in their own backyard makes it even more special. The character Chamari & her team have shown throughout the past year is promising, and it’ll do wonders for the Women’s game in SL.”

In the decisive match, England was asked to bat first and managed to post a modest total of 116 runs in 19 overs, with Maia Bouchier (23), Danielle Gibson (21), and wicketkeeper-batter Amy Jones (20) making notable contributions.

The spin bowlers wreaked havoc, accounting for seven of England’s wickets. Sri Lanka’s skipper, Chamari Athapaththu, delivered an exceptional all-round performance, scoring 44 runs off 28 balls and taking 3 wickets for just 21 runs. Kavisha Dilhari and Udeshika Prabodhani also impressed, each taking 2 wickets for 16 runs.

This performance raised concerns about England’s ability to handle spin, as they succumbed to Sri Lanka in a similar fashion during the second T20I match.