Of those excluded, Madara might feel the most hard-done by. The 25-year-old seamer had picked up eight wickets across six ODIs since the start of the year – her most effective period in the format since debuting in 2025 – but Sri Lanka have opted to trial 19-year-old quick Sewwandi instead.
With conditions in Hambantota, where all three ODIs and subsequent T20s will take place, not expected to take that much turn, the exclusion of Kumari tracks – particularly with the squad being trimmed from 16 to 15 players, and other spin options available in the likes of Inoka Ranaweera, Dewmi Vihanga, Kavisha Dilhari, Nimasha Meepage and Athapaththu.
The rest of the batting line-up shapes up as expected with the return of Sanjeewani also set to bolster Sri Lanka’s lower order batting.
The seam contingent though holds a youthful flavour, with 23-year-old Kawya Kavindi the most experienced of the bunch with five matches under her belt. Chethana Vimukthi, 24, has played three ODIs while Sewwandi is yet to make her ODI debut.
The three ODIs will take place on July 23, 25 and 28, all in Hambantota. The series will be a part of ICC Women’s Championship 2025-2029 cycle.
Sri Lanka squad for the women’s ODI series against Pakistan
Chamari Athapaththu (capt.), Vishmi Gunaratne, Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Hansima Karunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani, Chethana Vimukthi, Inoka Ranaweera, Nimasha Meepage, Imesha Dulani, Dewmi Vihanga, Rashmika Sewwandi, Kawya Kavindi
