Skipper Chamari Athapaththu leads from the front as Sri Lanka holds their nerve to stun Pakistan in an edge-of-the-seat thriller to progress to their 3rd ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup Final
The Indian women’s team led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur defeated Bangladesh led by skipper Nigar Sultana Joty with a thumping 10-wicket victory in the 1st semi-final to book a spot in the final on 28th July 2024.
Pakistan led by skipper Nida Dar was all set to face Sri Lanka led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu in the 2nd semi-final. Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and opted to field first. Both sides stayed with the same playing 11. After being inserted to bat first, the Pakistan openers Gull Feroza and wicket-keeper batter Muneeba Ali got their side off to a solid start with a 61-run opening stand.
Udeshika Prabodhani picked up the wicket of Gull Ferza to provide the 1st breakthrough for Sri Lanka. Wicket-keeper batter Muneeba Ali soon followed her back to the pavilion to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Skipper Nida Dar joined Sidra Amin at the crease and the duo stitched a crucial 30-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side close to the 100-run mark. Kavisha Dilhari struck twice in the 15th over of the innings to bring their side back into the contest.
Pakistan eventually ended up with a competitive total of 140/4 in their quota of overs. Muneeba Ali (37 off 34 balls), Nida Dar (23 off 17 balls), and Fatima Sana (23 off 17 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Pakistan. Udeshika Prabodhini (4-0-23-2), Kavisha Dilhari (4-0-30-2), and Sugandika Kumari (4-0-16-0) were the top performers with the ball for Sri Lanka.
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Chasing a tricky total of 141, Sri Lanka got off to a poor start as they lost the wicket of their opening batter Vishmi Gunaratne on the 3rd ball of the run chase. Sadia Iqbal provided the first breakthrough for Pakistan. Harshitha Samarawickrama joined skipper Chamari Athapaththu at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 19-run partnership for the 2nd wicket.
Omaima Sohail picked up the wicket of Harshitha Samarawickrama to provide the 2nd breakthrough for her side. Kavisha Dilhari joined skipper Chamari Athapaththu at the crease and the duo stitched a much-needed 59-run partnership for the 3rd wicket to take their side close to the 100-run mark. Sadia Iqbal struck twice in the 12th over of the run chase.
Wicket-keeper batter Anushka Sanjeewani joined skipper Chamari Athapaththu at the crease and the duo stitched another crucial 42-run partnership for the 5th wicket to keep their side in the contest. Sadia Iqbal came back and cleaned up the opposition skipper Chamari Athapaththu to keep Pakistan interested, for a spot in the final. The hosts Sri Lanka managed to hold their nerve to get over the line with three wickets in hand and one ball to spare.
Chamari Athapaththu (63 off 48 balls), Anushka Sanjeewani (24 off 22 balls), Kavisha Dilhari (17 off 18 balls), and Sugandika Kumari (10 off 9 balls) were the top performers with the bat for Sri Lanka. Sadia Iqbal (4-0-16-4), Omaima Sohail (3-0-16-1), and Nida Dar (2.5-0-20-1) were the top performers with the ball for Pakistan.
The Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu scored a hat-trick of Player of the Match awards to take Sri Lanka into their 3rd ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup Final. Her calm and composed knock (63 off 48 balls) under pressure played a crucial role in taking Sri Lanka to a spot in the final. They will face India led by skipper Harmanpreet Kaur in the final on 28th July 2024 (Sunday) in Dambulla from 3 PM IST.