Sri Lanka survived one of the most dramatic finishes of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to edge past Scotland by three wickets off the final ball, keeping their semi-final hopes alive while heartbreakingly ending Scotland’s hopes of direct qualification for the next T20 World Cup. Chasing 152 at Old Trafford, Sri Lanka looked in control at various stages before Scotland dragged themselves back into the contest. It all came down to a thrilling final over that had everything: clever bowling, a mid-over injury, frantic running and a boundary that sealed the match.
Earlier, Scotland posted a competitive 151/6 after opting to bat. Sarah Bryce anchored the innings brilliantly with an unbeaten 47(33), while Darcey Carter added 34(36) and Ailsa Lister chipped in with a quickfire 26(17) to lift the total in the closing overs. Kathryn Bryce contributed 23(23), but Sri Lanka kept striking often enough to prevent a bigger finish. Mithali Ayodhya led the bowling effort with 2/34, while Sugandika Kumari (1/25) and Kavisha Dilhari (1/19) also picked up important wickets.
Sri Lanka’s reply began in explosive fashion as captain Chamari Athapaththu blasted 33(16), smashing six fours and a six to power her side through the powerplay. Hasini Perera added 23(17), while Harshitha Samarawickrama made 27(23), but Scotland refused to let the chase drift away. Katherine Fraser was outstanding with 2/25, Kathryn Bryce claimed 2/28, Rachel Slater finished with 2/31 and Kirstie Gordon chipped in with 1/24 as wickets continued to fall.
Needing 17 from the final two overs, Sri Lanka found timely boundaries through Nilakshika Silva and Sugandika Kumari to leave 7 required off the last 6 deliveries. Rachel Slater held her nerve brilliantly to begin the over, conceding just 4 runs from the first 3 balls as the equation became 3 needed from 3. Then came the turning point.
Slater pulled up while running in to bowl her fourth delivery, clutching her left leg before collapsing in pain. Fighting back tears, the fast bowler had to leave the field, unable to complete the over. Priyanaz Chatterji was pushed into the spotlight with Sri Lanka needing 3 from 3. Nilakshika Silva stole a vital single before Sugandika Kumari hit the winning boundary, sealing a dramatic three wicket victory and breaking Scottish hearts.
Nilakshika remained unbeaten on a composed 21*(21), playing the calm hand during the tense closing stages, while Sugandika’s unbeaten 7*(5) produced the winning moment. The victory keeps Sri Lanka firmly in contention in Group 2, while Scotland are left wondering what might have been after coming within one over of a famous World Cup win.
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