Chamari Athapaththu produced a brilliant unbeaten 83 to guide Sri Lanka into the final of the 2026 Asian Games Women’s Cricket Competition, as they defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in a high-scoring semi-final. Chasing 178, Sri Lanka reached 181 for 2 with 13 balls to spare, completing their highest successful chase against Pakistan in the […]
Chamari Athapaththu produced a brilliant unbeaten 83 to guide Sri Lanka into the final of the 2026 Asian Games Women’s Cricket Competition, as they defeated Pakistan by eight wickets in a high-scoring semi-final.
Chasing 178, Sri Lanka reached 181 for 2 with 13 balls to spare, completing their highest successful chase against Pakistan in the competition. Athapaththu struck six sixes in her 50-ball innings, while Hasini Perera contributed an attacking 42 from 26 balls.
Earlier, Pakistan posted 177 for 4 after Ayesha Zafar smashed 71 from 40 balls and Shawaal Zulfiqar scored 54 from 50 deliveries.
Pakistan Make Strong Start With the Bat
Pakistan were sent in to bat and produced their highest-ever T20I total against Sri Lanka.
Ayesha Zafar was the driving force behind the innings. Coming in at No. 4, she immediately injected momentum into Pakistan’s batting and eventually finished with 71 from 40 balls.
Her innings included nine fours and two sixes, allowing Pakistan to accelerate significantly during the middle and final stages of their innings.
Zafar combined with Shawaal Zulfiqar for a 115-run third-wicket partnership from 70 balls, giving Pakistan a strong platform.
While Zafar attacked consistently, Zulfiqar played the supporting role. She scored 37 from 30 balls during their partnership before completing her second T20I half-century.
Zulfiqar eventually finished with 54 from 50 balls, helping Pakistan reach 177 for 4.
Despite reaching their highest T20I total against Sri Lanka, Pakistan were left to wonder whether they had missed an opportunity to score a few more runs, particularly given Sri Lanka’s powerful batting lineup.
Sri Lanka Lose Early Wicket
Sri Lanka’s chase began positively through Imesha Dulani, who immediately put pressure on the Pakistan bowlers.
Dulani struck five fours during the opening four overs and scored a brisk 27 from 21 balls.
Athapaththu, however, began cautiously. She was on just 4 from nine balls when Dulani was dismissed.
Even by the end of the powerplay, Athapaththu had managed only seven runs from 12 deliveries and had yet to hit a boundary.
That changed dramatically in the eighth over.
Athapaththu Turns the Match Around
Athapaththu shifted gears in spectacular fashion against Momina Riasat.
She smashed the eighth over for 20 runs, hitting 6, 4, 6 and 4 to suddenly transform Sri Lanka’s chase.
One of the sixes came in fortunate circumstances. Athapaththu slog-swept a delivery towards deep midwicket, where Fatima Sana appeared to have completed the catch. However, Sana stepped onto the boundary while attempting to throw the ball back into play, meaning Athapaththu survived.
The reprieve proved costly for Pakistan.
Athapaththu continued to dominate the left-arm spin, attacking Nashra Sandhu in the 10th over with two fours and a six. The scoring burst brought Sri Lanka’s target down to 90 runs from 60 balls.
Hasini Perera Adds More Pressure
With Athapaththu now in full flow, Hasini Perera accelerated at the other end.
Perera attacked Tuba Hassan in the 13th over, hitting two sixes and a four as Sri Lanka continued to reduce the required run rate.
She eventually fell at the end of the 14th over after scoring an excellent 42 from 26 balls.
By then, however, the damage had been done.
Perera and Athapaththu had added 95 runs from just 56 balls, leaving Sri Lanka needing only 47 runs from the final 36 deliveries.
Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama needed just 23 balls to complete the chase.
Sri Lanka Reach the Final
Athapaththu remained unbeaten on 83 from 50 balls, having struck six sixes and several boundaries during her match-winning innings.
Sri Lanka finished on 181 for 2, reaching the target with 13 balls remaining and securing an emphatic eight-wicket victory.
The result sends Sri Lanka into the Asian Games women’s cricket final, where they will face India in a repeat of the 2023 gold-medal contest.
Pakistan, meanwhile, will have to settle for a place in the bronze-medal match, where they will face Bangladesh.
Match Summary
| Team | Score | Result |
| Pakistan | 177/4 | Lost by 8 wickets |
| Sri Lanka | 181/2 | Won by 8 wickets |
Pakistan: Ayesha Zafar 71, Shawaal Zulfiqar 54
Sri Lanka: Chamari Athapaththu 83*, Hasini Perera 42, Imesha Dulani 27
Sri Lanka’s successful chase was built around Athapaththu’s spectacular change of pace. After scoring only seven runs in the powerplay, the Sri Lankan captain exploded in the middle overs and ensured that Pakistan’s competitive total was chased down comfortably.
