In a dramatic Semi-Final 2 of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 held at Dambulla on Friday (July 26), Sri Lanka Women secured their place in the final with a thrilling 3-wicket victory over Pakistan Women. Chasing a competitive target of 141, Sri Lanka achieved their goal with just one ball to spare, thanks to a gritty 63 from their captain, Chamari Athapaththu. Sri Lanka will now face the seven-time champions, Indian Women, in the final, aiming to cap off a strong tournament performance with the championship.
Pakistan’s competitive total
Pakistan set a competitive total of 140/4 in their 20 overs. The innings was anchored by Muneeba Ali, who contributed a solid 37 off 34 balls, including five boundaries. Gull Feroza also played a valuable role, scoring 25 off 24 balls. Captain Nida Dar added a quickfire 23 off 17 balls, while Fatima Sana and Aliya Riaz provided a late boost with their unbeaten contributions.
The key partnership of the innings came between Muneeba and Nida, who added 33 runs for the fourth wicket. Despite this steady buildup, Pakistan’s innings faced significant disruptions from Sri Lanka’s bowlers. Udeshika Prabodhani and Kavisha Dilhari each took two wickets, while Sugandika Kumari and Athapaththu maintained the pressure with their economical spells.
Also READ: Women’s Asia Cup 2024: Date, Match Time, Venue, Broadcast and Live Streaming Details
Sri Lanka chase led by Chamari Athapaththu
In response, Sri Lanka chased down the target of 141 in dramatic fashion. Athapaththu was instrumental in the chase, scoring a crucial 63 off 48 balls with nine boundaries and one six. Her innings was pivotal in guiding Sri Lanka towards victory. Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari also made contributions with 12 and 17 runs, respectively, but it was the late surge from Anushka Sanjeewani that ensured Sri Lanka crossed the finish line.
Sadia Iqbal was the standout bowler for Pakistan, taking four key wickets for just 16 runs. Despite her exceptional performance, Sri Lanka’s consistent batting and strategic partnerships allowed them to inch closer to the target. The final over was particularly tense, with Sri Lanka needing 6 runs off the last 6 balls. Sanjeewani’s composed innings secured the win with a ball to spare. Pakistan’s bowlers, including Nida and Omaima Sohail, provided strong resistance but could not prevent Sri Lanka from clinching the victory.
Here’s how Fans reacted:
Queen 👸
Absolute queen you are!!! @58Chamari
Chamari Athapaththu scores 63 (48) in the 2024 Asia Cup Semi-Final pic.twitter.com/O5BRwnSUyT
— Kanishka Roshan (@KrosaniTy) July 26, 2024
Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu is the best ever Asian Women’s cricketer. 🇱🇰 #Cricket #SriLanka
— Daniel Alexander (@daniel86cricket) July 26, 2024
Nervy semi-final. Great to watch 🙌
Sri Lanka and their crowd will be a good test for India in the final.— Saurabh Malhotra (@MalhotraSaurabh) July 26, 2024
Sri Lanka deservedly into the finals, but that was some last over from Nida Dar. And there were half a million people concurrent on Hotstar watching the conclusion of this riveting semifinal. #AsiaCup
— Tareque Laskar (@tarequelaskar) July 26, 2024
What a Win Sri Lanka Women Team, They Just Beat Pak in Semi. It’s Ind vs SL in Asia Cup Final 🔥#AsiaCup
— Sagar Mhatre (@MhatreGang) July 26, 2024
Classic match after a long time from women’s cricket. Sri Lanka W team is full of fighters. Need bit more smart to compete with india. #AsiaCup
— JD (@consistntpunter) July 26, 2024
Nida Dar, experienced player, committed a blunder in today’s semi final against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka needed 2 runs from 2 balls. Nida bowled a wide ball and thus made the run-chase easy for Sri Lanka.😡😡😡
— Yasir Yousafzai (@Yasirpukhtoon) July 26, 2024
Sri Lanka win!
They play India in the Final!
Pakistan, you had many chances, just didn’t grab them.
— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) July 26, 2024
Chamari Athapaththu’s heart was beating outside her body throughout that 20th over. Heartbreak for Nida Dar’s side but oh god, what a relief for the Lankan legend. #AsiaCup2024 #WomensAsiaCup
— Lavanya 🎙️🎥👩🏻💻 (@lav_narayanan) July 26, 2024
What a match 🔥🔥
Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 3 wickets and charges into the finals of the Asia Cup 2024 🙌#women #cricket #SLvPAK #asiacup2024 #ChamariAthapaththu #CricketTwitter #WomenCricket pic.twitter.com/6k5R9O44bX
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) July 26, 2024
Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in a thrilling semifinal, getting over the line with 1 ball left & 3 wickets in hand. They were coasting until an inspired performance from Sadia Iqbal got Pakistan back in the hunt. But ultimately, Chamari Athapaththu was the difference maker again.
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) July 26, 2024
Also READ: Women’s Asia Cup 2024: Here are the complete squads of all 8 teams
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
