Sri Lanka batter Harshitha Samarawickrama believes her team still has a chance of reaching the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 despite a difficult campaign so far.
Sri Lanka are currently fourth in Group 2 ahead of their final group-stage match against Scotland at Old Trafford, Manchester, on June 26 (Friday). While qualification is no longer completely in their hands, Sri Lanka can still reach the last four if they beat Scotland by a big margin and other results go in their favour.
Sri Lanka kept their hopes alive with an excellent performance against Ireland in Bristol. Their bowlers kept Ireland under pressure throughout the innings before captain Chamari Athapaththu produced one of the best knocks of the tournament. She remained unbeaten on 106 off just 61 balls as Sri Lanka chased down the target comfortably to win by nine wickets. The big victory also improved Sri Lanka’s Net Run Rate and gave them fresh hope ahead of their final group-stage match.
Now, all their focus is on Scotland. Sri Lanka know they first need to win this match before thinking about the other results they need. Although Samarawickrama knows the task will not be easy, she said the team still believes it can qualify.
“In the 2024 World Cup, we didn’t play good cricket,” Samarawickrama said. “This year, we have played really good cricket. We won against New Zealand, which was a great achievement in Sri Lankan cricket.
“Scotland are one of the best upcoming teams, so it’s a great challenge for us. You can’t undermine any team in this World Cup, everybody’s playing good cricket. We are going to take it one step at a time, make sure we win first, and then think about the net run rate, but we believe we can do it.”
Sri Lanka will once again depend on captain Chamari Athapaththu to lead from the front. After a quiet start to the tournament, she returned to top form with a brilliant unbeaten century against Ireland. She attacked from the start, played fearless cricket and never allowed the Irish bowlers to settle.
Her unbeaten 106 not only kept Sri Lanka’s World Cup hopes alive but also reminded everyone why she is one of the best all-rounders in women’s cricket. She was named Player of the Match for her outstanding performance and will be hoping to deliver again against Scotland.
Samarawickrama said playing alongside Athapaththu is a special experience for every player in the Sri Lankan dressing room.
“She’s a legend,” Samarawickrama said of her skipper. “She’s a living legend in Sri Lankan cricket. She plays really good cricket, and she’s a role model for us. She always shares her own knowledge and it’s a great honour to play with her.”
Even if Sri Lanka beat Scotland, they will still need other results to go their way. However, the team is choosing to focus only on what it can control. A convincing win would improve their Net Run Rate further and give them the best possible chance of reaching the semi-finals.
Scotland, however, will also be fighting to stay alive in the tournament, making this one of the biggest matches in Group 2. They have already shown they can challenge stronger teams, so Sri Lanka know they cannot afford to take them lightly.
With confidence returning after the dominant win over Ireland and their captain back among the runs, Sri Lanka believe they can finish the group stage on a high. Whether that is enough to secure a place in the semi-finals will depend on other results, but the team is determined to give everything in its final league match and keep its World Cup dream alive.
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