Key Takeaways
- Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu’s unbeaten 83 led Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket victory.
- Pakistan’s Ayesha Zafar top-scored with 71 but could not prevent Sri Lanka’s quick chase.
- Sri Lanka will face India in the final, while Pakistan will play for bronze against the loser of the Bangladesh match.
Pakistan missed out on the Asian Games women’s cricket final after Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu led her team to an emphatic eight-wicket victory in the semi-final.
Chasing 178, Sri Lanka raced to their target with 13 balls to spare, with Athapaththu unbeaten on 83 off 50 balls, hitting seven fours and six sixes.
Harshitha Samarawickrama was also unbeaten on 17, contributing to Sri Lanka’s dominant performance.
Pakistan had set a challenging target of 177 for four, with Ayesha Zafar top-scoring with 71 off 40 balls and Shawaal Zulfiqar contributing 54 off 50.
However, Sri Lanka’s chase quickly turned into a one-sided affair, with Athapaththu’s destructive hitting leading the way.
Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to contain the scoring rate, with Sri Lanka reaching 19 without loss in the first two overs.
Fatima Sana provided Pakistan with their first breakthrough, bowling Imesha Dulani for 27 off 21 balls, but Sri Lanka’s chase continued smoothly.
Athapaththu accelerated spectacularly, hitting Momina Riasat for a six, four, six and four in the eighth over, taking Sri Lanka to 70 for one.
Hasini Perera joined in the acceleration, particularly against Tuba Hassan, and Sri Lanka moved to 121 for one after 13 overs, needing 57 from 42 balls.
Nashra Sandhu eventually broke the partnership, but Sri Lanka were 131 for two with 47 still required from 36 deliveries.
Pakistan’s bowlers were unable to hold on, with Athapaththu moving to 65 off 44 balls before taking 15 from Umm-e-Hani’s final over, including consecutive sixes.
Sri Lanka were 157 for two after 16 overs and needed only 21 from the final four overs, completing the chase with two balls of the 18th over remaining.
