teachnet
NEW DELHI: Skipper Chamari Athapaththu’s resolute half-century led Sri Lanka to an exciting three-wicket victory against Pakistan in the women’s Asia Cup second semifinal in Dambulla on Friday.
The win secured Sri Lanka’s spot in the championship match against India, who had defeated Bangladesh by 10 wickets in the first semifinal earlier in the day. The final is scheduled for Sunday.
Athapaththu, the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 223 runs, singlehandedly steered the Lankans near the 141-run target, crafting a well-timed 63 off 48 deliveries, which included nine fours and one six, reported PTI.
Her partnership of 61 runs with Kalisha Dilhari (17 off 18 balls) for the third wicket provided Sri Lanka with a strong grip on the game. Anushka Sanjeevani’s unbeaten 24 off 22 balls, featuring one four and one six, also contributed to Sri Lanka reaching the target of 141 for 7 in 19.5 overs.
Pakistan remained competitive thanks to an outstanding spell by the seasoned left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal, who claimed 4 wickets for 16 runs in her 4 overs. However, she lacked sufficient support from the other bowlers, allowing the hosts to stumble across the finish line.
Earlier, Pakistan’s innings was built on useful contributions from Muneeba Ali (37), Gull Feroza (25), captain Nida Dar (23), and Fatima Sana (23 not out).
Despite getting starts, none of them managed to convert their scores into more substantial ones, resulting in Pakistan posting a total of 140 for four, which ultimately proved to be slightly insufficient.
Brief scores: Pakistan 140/4 in 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 37, Gull Feroza 25, Nida Dar 23, Fatima Sana 23 not out; Udeshika Prabodhani 2/23) lost to Sri Lanka 141/7 in 19.5 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 63, Anushka Sanjeevani 24 not out; Sadia Iqbal 4/16) by 3 wickets.
The win secured Sri Lanka’s spot in the championship match against India, who had defeated Bangladesh by 10 wickets in the first semifinal earlier in the day. The final is scheduled for Sunday.
Athapaththu, the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 223 runs, singlehandedly steered the Lankans near the 141-run target, crafting a well-timed 63 off 48 deliveries, which included nine fours and one six, reported PTI.
Her partnership of 61 runs with Kalisha Dilhari (17 off 18 balls) for the third wicket provided Sri Lanka with a strong grip on the game. Anushka Sanjeevani’s unbeaten 24 off 22 balls, featuring one four and one six, also contributed to Sri Lanka reaching the target of 141 for 7 in 19.5 overs.
Pakistan remained competitive thanks to an outstanding spell by the seasoned left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal, who claimed 4 wickets for 16 runs in her 4 overs. However, she lacked sufficient support from the other bowlers, allowing the hosts to stumble across the finish line.
Earlier, Pakistan’s innings was built on useful contributions from Muneeba Ali (37), Gull Feroza (25), captain Nida Dar (23), and Fatima Sana (23 not out).
Despite getting starts, none of them managed to convert their scores into more substantial ones, resulting in Pakistan posting a total of 140 for four, which ultimately proved to be slightly insufficient.
Brief scores: Pakistan 140/4 in 20 overs (Muneeba Ali 37, Gull Feroza 25, Nida Dar 23, Fatima Sana 23 not out; Udeshika Prabodhani 2/23) lost to Sri Lanka 141/7 in 19.5 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 63, Anushka Sanjeevani 24 not out; Sadia Iqbal 4/16) by 3 wickets.
