Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by one run to enter the final of the Women's T20 Asia Cup 2022. Having beaten Pakistan, the Chamari Athapaththu-led Sri Lanka will meet India in the final on Saturday. India, meanwhile, entered the summit clash by defeating Thailand by 74 runs in the first semifinal on Thursday.
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka posted 122 for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs with Harshitha Madavi starring with a 41-ball 35. Skipper Athapaththu and Anushka Sanjeewani gave Sri Lanka a good start as the rest of the batters chipped in with useful contributions.
Nashara Sandhu starred with the ball for Sri Lanka with three wickets as Pakistan fancied its chances with the bat during the run chase.
Skipper Bismah Mahroof top scored with a 41-ball 42 as the rest of the batswomen revolved around the skipper, making valuable contributions. However, the fall of Maroof saw Sri Lanka crawl back and take the match to the last over. Pakistan required 9 runs from 6 deliveries and Achini Kulasuriya held her never to defend the total as Nidar Dar was run out with Pakistan requiring three runs from the final delivery. After 14 years, Sri Lanka entered the final of the Asia Cup.
"It was a very good game. Both teams played good cricket. It was a good wicker and we controlled it well. We came close but couldn't finish things. It was a good experience for us, lots of positives and this is a good learning for us," said Pakistan skipper Bismah Maroof.
"Lots of pressure but we stuck by the bowlers. I always thought that my bowlers could do a good job. We changed the batting order to change a few things. After 14 years, we are in the Asia Cup final, that's good for us. First six overs they batted well, openers did well but we stuck to our plans. We knew that after six overs, it isn't easy to hit boundaries, so just stuck to our plans. Kavisha is a fighter, she handles pressure well. Dropped the catch but got the run out which was important, said Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu.
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