Skipper Chamari Athapaththu’s meticulous fifty powered Sri Lanka to a thrilling three-wicket triumph over Pakistan in the second semifinal of the women’s Asia Cup here on Friday, securing a title duel with India.
Defending champions India defeated Bangladesh by 10 wickets in the first semifinal. The championship game will be played on Sunday.Athapaththu, the event’s biggest run-getter with 223 runs, single-handedly drove the Lankans near to the goal of 141, scoring 63 off 48 balls (9×4, 1×6).
Anushka Sanjeevani’s unbeaten 24 (22b, 1×4, 1×6) helped Lanka reach 141 for 7 in 19.5 overs. Her fifty was also significant.
Kalisha Dilhari (17, 18 balls) helped Athapaththu score 61 runs for the third wicket, giving Lanka a firm grip on the match.
