Women’s Asia Cup: Sri Lanka fight back from 33/4 to beat Pakistan by 4 wickets to set up final for India

Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 4 wickets. (Pic Credit: Sri Lanka Cricket) NEW DELHI: Defending champions Sri Lanka came under pressure to beat Pakistan by four wickets to book their place in the Women’s Asia Cup final where they will face India in a replay in 2024.Chasing 131 at the Dubai International Stadium on Friday, Sri Lanka slumped to 33/4 in seven overs before Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari launched a thrilling recovery. The pair added 67 runs for the fifth wicket to put Sri Lanka within touching distance of victory.Pakistan captain Fatima Sana briefly revived her side’s hopes by dismissing both batsmen in the 17th over, leaving Sri Lanka at 109/6 still needing 22 runs from the last three overs. But Nilakshika Silva and Kaushani Nuthyangana held their nerve to complete the eight-ball chase.Sri Lanka reached 131/6 in 18.4 overs with Nilakshika not out on 18 balls from 10 and Nuthyangana 10 not out from four deliveries.

Harshitha, Dilhari saves Sri Lanka

Pakistan made a competitive 130/5 after being asked to bat first. They too endured a tough start, slipping to 52/4 in 10 overs before Fatima Sana helped revive the innings with an unbeaten 47 off 36 balls.Shawaal Zulfiqar provided the early impetus with 24 off 16 balls while Gull Feroza made 21. But Sri Lanka’s bowlers kept Pakistan under pressure with Chamari Athapaththu and Chamudi Praboda taking two wickets each and Sugandika Kumari claiming one.Sri Lanka’s chase seemed headed for trouble when Fatima removed Athapaththa and Sanjana Kavindi with successive deliveries in the second over. Hasini Perera and Imesha Dulani also fell quickly, leaving the defending champions four.Harshitha and Dilhari changed the face of the chase with their 67-run stand. Harshitha made 36 off 31 balls while Dilhari scored 33 off 33, repeatedly finding singles and spinning the strike to absorb the pressure.“The way Harshitha and Kavisha batted is amazing. They absorbed pressure, took singles and played really well. Under pressure, this partnership was match-winning,” Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu said after the match.Fatima, who was named Player of the Match for her 4/38 and unbeaten 47, struck again and removed both the set batsmen. But Pakistan could not close the game.“Most things went well but the last bit, (the) Sri Lankan middle order took the game away,” Fatima said. “I think the way Harshitha and Kavisha played… They are good at (defending) singles. So credit goes to them.”

A repeat of the 2024 final awaits you

The win takes Sri Lanka into their third consecutive Women’s Asia Cup final. They will face India again, who beat Bangladesh by 40 runs in their semi-final to remain unbeaten in the tournament.Sri Lanka beat India by eight wickets in the 2024 final to win their first Asia Cup title. India, meanwhile, will be aiming for a record eighth crown when the two sides meet on Sunday.Athapaththu believes Sri Lanka have enough depth to challenge India again.“We have good finishers like Harshitha, Nilakshika, Kavisha. Most of the players are playing really well, even the bowling unit. So we have good players. So if we can execute our plans in the final, I think we can beat any team,” she said.For Pakistan, the defeat ended their campaign after an inconsistent tournament, while Sri Lanka’s ability to recover from 33/4 again underlined the resilience that has taken them back to the Asia Cup final.