PAK vs SL Dream11 Prediction: 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for today’s Women's T20 World Cup 2024 match – October 3, 2024

Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in the second match of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 on Thursday, October 3, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Both the teams couldn't be at more opposite ends of the form spectrum. Sri Lanka are flying high after their maiden Asia Cup win and looked to be in great touch in their two warm-up matches against Scotland and Bangladesh, which they won with ease.

On the other hand, after losing to Sri Lanka in the semi-final of the Asia Cup, Pakistan replaced Nida Dar as the captain, with Fatima Sana taking over the reins of the side. They lost both warm-up games, including one to Scotland, and with injury concerns hovering over star bowler Sadia Iqbal, they have their task cut out for them if they want to start with a win.

On that note, let's look at the top three captaincy picks from this match.

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#3 Harshitha Samarawickrama (BAT) (SL)

Sri Lankan opening batter Harshitha Samarawickrama is in arguably the form of her life right now. After a POTM-winning performance in the Asia Cup final against India that earned Sri Lanka their maiden triumph in the competition, she also had a stellar series against Ireland where she scored her maiden ODI hundred.

Up against an inexperienced and under-fire Pakistan side, Harshitha will be looking to assert her dominance right from ball one. With doubts cast over Sadia Iqbal's fitness, Pakistan may field a weakened side for this one, and the in-form Harshitha could well start her T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a solid knock.

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#2 Nida Dar (ALL) (PAK)

Nida Dar will be captain Fatima Sana's go-to bowler in this World Cup.

Nida Dar will have to be at her absolute best if Pakistan wish to spring a surprise on Sri Lanka in their opening fixture of the 2024 T20 World Cup. She lost the captaincy of the side after a poor result in the recently concluded Asia Cup, with 22-year-old pacer Fatima Sana the new skipper.

However, the vastly experienced Nida Dar will hold the key for Pakistan with both bat and ball, especially with their X-Factor with the ball, Sadia Iqbal, having a cloud of doubt over her participation due to fitness issues.

Nida Dar has picked up 143 wickets and scored 2,021 runs in 156 T20Is, and that highlights her immense all-round potential. She's easily the best option from this Pakistan side and one of the best captaincy picks too.

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#1 Chamari Athapaththu (ALL) (SL)

Chamari Athapaththu is one of the most sought-after all-rounders in women's cricket right now, and she's easily one of the best Fantasy options for this World Cup. Fresh off leading Sri Lanka to a maiden Asia Cup win and winning the Player of the Tournament award, the Sri Lankan captain is easily the best Dream11 captaincy pick from this match.

Athapaththu is the heart of the Sri Lankan batting unit, and with more than 3,300 runs under her belt, there's no one else you'd rather back to score runs in this fixture than her. The captain is also bowling plenty of overs in recent times, increasing her chances of securing an all-round points haul.

The 34-year-old also made some impactful contributions in her short stint with the Barbados Royals in the WCPL 2024 and comes into this World Cup in great form. She's definitely the one to back with the captain's armband in this one.