SL edge out Pakistan in thriller to make the final

DAMBULLA, Sri lanka: Chamari Athapaththu’s fighting 63 off 48 balls and Anushka Sanjeewani’s nerveless unbeaten 24 at No.6 helped Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by three wickets in a last-over thriller in the second semi-final of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024.

Sri Lanka will now again meet defending champions India in the title clash in Dambulla on Sunday. In a pulsating semi-final, the momentum swung between both teams in both innings. Whenever Sri Lanka made inroads, Pakistan fought back, and vice-versa right till the end.

After restricting Pakistan to 140 for 4, Sri Lanka had to dig deep in the chase. Sadia Iqbal spun a web with four wickets and pegged the hosts back at crucial times. After losing two early wickets, Athapaththu found able partners first in Kavisha Dilhari and then in the wicketkeeper-batter Sanjeewani. With her, Athapaththu shared a match-changing 42 runs off 29 for the fifth wicket. However, Iqbal dismissed Athapaththu in the 17th over to turn the tables around Pakistan and brought the equation down to run-a-ball 21.