Chamari Athapaththu Leads Sri Lanka to Women’s Asia Cup Final Against India
Dambulla [Sri Lanka], July 26: Chamari Athapaththu’s captain’s knock secured Sri Lanka’s spot in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 final against India after a thrilling three-wicket win over Pakistan at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
Unlike the first semi-final, where India dominated Bangladesh, the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was a nail-biter. Both teams fought hard till the end, with the game hanging in the balance until the final over.
Sadia Iqbal’s slow left-arm spin caused trouble for Sri Lanka, leading to regular wicket losses while chasing 141. However, Athapaththu’s determined 63 runs kept Sri Lanka in the game. After Sri Lanka were 78/4 in 11.5 overs, Anushka Sanjeewani joined Athapaththu, and their 42-run partnership brought Sri Lanka back into contention.
Despite Athapaththu’s dismissal in the 17th over, leaving 20 runs needed off 18 deliveries, the game remained tense. Sugandika’s brave attack in the penultimate over added 13 crucial runs. In the final over, Pakistan’s skipper Nida Dar tried to defend three runs but Sri Lanka held their nerve, with Anushka Sanjeewani scoring the winning run.
Earlier, Pakistan scored 140/4, with Muneeba Ali’s 37 and Fatima Sana’s unbeaten 23-run cameo playing key roles. However, it wasn’t enough to stop Sri Lanka’s chase.
| Brief Score |
|---|
| Pakistan 140/4 (Muneeba Ali 37, Gull Feroza 25; Prabodhani 2-23) |
| Sri Lanka 141/7 (Chamari Athapaththu 63, Anushka Sanjeewani 24*; Sadia Iqbal 4-16) |
Doubts Revealed
Chamari Athapaththu -: Chamari Athapaththu is a famous cricketer from Sri Lanka. She is known for her excellent batting skills and is the captain of the Sri Lankan women’s cricket team.
Women’s Asia Cup -: The Women’s Asia Cup is a cricket tournament where women’s teams from different Asian countries compete against each other. It is like a big sports event for cricket in Asia.
semi-final -: A semi-final is a match that happens just before the final. The winners of the semi-final get to play in the final to try and win the tournament.
three-wicket victory -: A three-wicket victory means that the winning team had three players left who had not been out when they reached the target score.
Anushka Sanjeewani -: Anushka Sanjeewani is another cricketer from Sri Lanka. She played an important role in helping her team win the semi-final match.
Sugandika -: Sugandika is a player from the Sri Lankan women’s cricket team. She played bravely in the second last over of the match, helping her team win.
penultimate over -: The penultimate over is the second last set of six balls bowled in a cricket match. It is often very important in deciding the outcome of the game.
Muneeba Ali -: Muneeba Ali is a cricketer from Pakistan. She helped her team by scoring runs in the semi-final match.
Fatima Sana -: Fatima Sana is another cricketer from Pakistan. She also contributed to her team’s total score in the semi-final.
140/4 -: 140/4 means that the team scored 140 runs and lost 4 wickets. In cricket, runs are points and wickets are outs.
