Episkopi, Cyprus. Cyprus and Malta played a five-match Women’s T20I bilateral series at Happy Valley Ground in Episkopi from June 18 to 20 as part of the 2026 ICC Women’s Cricket Week celebrations. Cyprus completed a 5-0 series sweep over the visiting side.
Series result
Cyprus entered the series after a 4-1 victory over Greece in April and again produced a dominant performance against Malta. The result extended the team’s strong recent form in women’s international cricket.
Top performers
Cyprus captain Iresha Chathurani finished as the series’ leading run-scorer with 131 runs at an average of 43.67 and a strike rate of 85.62. With the ball, Cyprus players Ayesha Bandara and Chathurangi Dunukedeniya, along with Malta’s Silda Joy, each took nine wickets to share top place in the wicket-taking charts.
Malta captain Anupama Rameshan delivered a strong all-round performance during the series. Chathurani was named the series MVP.
Rankings impact
The clean sweep moved Cyprus Women up to 37th place in the ICC Women’s T20I rankings. The Cyprus men’s team is currently ranked 65th in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings.
Domestic competitions
Attention now shifts to domestic cricket, with the Cyprus Women’s competition set to resume next week at Happy Valley. The Men’s Domestic T20 competition has reached the knockout stage, with all four quarter-finals scheduled for Sunday, June 28, at Happy Valley Ground.
Men’s tournament standings
The title race remains open with no standout favourites identified. Sankar Mekala leads the batting charts with 281 runs at an average of 70.25, while Vansham Bhandari and Abhay Parmar share top place among the bowlers with 12 wickets each.
