Chamari Athapaththu leads Sri Lanka to thrilling win over Pakistan, sets up final against India

Sri Lanka’s captain, Chamari Athapaththu, scored a crucial fifty to lead her team to a three-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second semifinal of the women’s Asia Cup on Friday. This win sets up a final clash against India on Sunday.

India had earlier defeated Bangladesh by 10 wickets in the first semifinal.

Athapaththu, the tournament’s top scorer with 223 runs, made 63 runs off 48 balls, including nine fours and one six. Her performance, along with Anushka Sanjeevani’s unbeaten 24 runs, helped Sri Lanka reach the target of 141 with just one ball to spare, finishing at 141 for 7 in 19.5 overs.

Athapaththu and Kalisha Dilhari, who scored 17 runs, added 61 runs for the third wicket, giving Sri Lanka a strong position in the match.

Pakistan’s experienced left-arm spinner, Sadia Iqbal, took four wickets for 16 runs in her four overs, but she lacked support from the other bowlers as Sri Lanka managed to cross the finish line.

Earlier in the match, Pakistan scored 140 for 4, with contributions from Muneeba Ali (37), Gull Feroza (25), captain Nida Dar (23), and Fatima Sana (23 not out). However, none of them were able to convert their starts into big scores, resulting in a slightly below-par total.