Harshitha Samarawickrama’s unbeaten 48 helped Sri Lanka survive a major scare and beat Bangladesh by four wickets in the DP World Women’s Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Chasing 115, Sri Lanka slipped to 44 for five before Samarawickrama calmly rebuilt the innings and guided the defending champions to 115 for six in 19.2 overs.
Her 37-ball innings included four fours and two sixes and earned her the player-of-the-match award. The result also confirmed Sri Lanka’s place in the semi-finals after a third successive Group B victory.
Bangladesh had earlier made 114 for eight from their 20 overs, with Sobhana Mostary top-scoring with 34 from 41 balls. Dilara Akter contributed 26 from 26 deliveries, but Bangladesh struggled to increase the scoring rate during the middle and closing stages of their innings.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and chose to bowl, a decision that was rewarded by another disciplined performance from her attack.
Bangladesh made a positive start through Dilara and Juairiya Ferdous, reaching 31 before the first wicket fell in the fifth over. Juairiya struck three fours in her 14 from 10 balls before being caught off Sugandika Kumari.
Dilara followed at the end of the seventh over when she was dismissed by Chamudi Praboda, leaving Bangladesh 44 for two.
The scoring rate then slowed as Sri Lanka’s spinners tightened their control. Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana made four from nine balls before she was trapped lbw by Kavisha Dilhari.
Mostary and Shorna Akter added 41 for the fourth wicket, but the partnership used 40 deliveries and left Bangladesh with limited time to accelerate.
Praboda broke the stand when she had Mostary stumped for 34. Two balls later, the bowler took a return catch to dismiss Shorna for nine.
Bangladesh lost four wickets in the final four overs and added only 21 runs during that period. Fahima Khatun offered some late momentum with 14 from 13 balls, but the innings ended at 114 for eight.
Praboda was Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler, finishing with three for 21 from four overs. Kumari claimed two for 22, while Dilhari conceded only 17 runs from her four overs and took one wicket.
Bangladesh responded with an outstanding start with the ball.
Marufa Akter removed Athapaththu for one in the opening over before bowling Imesha Dulani for 12 in her next over. Sultana Khatun then dismissed Sanjana Kavindi for nine as Sri Lanka ended the powerplay on 29 for three.
The pressure increased when Vishmi Gunaratne was caught for nine and Dilhari was run out for three. At 44 for five in the 10th over, Bangladesh appeared to have taken control of the match.
Samarawickrama, however, refused to be drawn into a hurried response. She concentrated on rotating the strike and punished the loose deliveries while Nilakshika Silva provided support at the other end.
The pair added 38 for the sixth wicket and gradually reduced the pressure. Marufa returned to bowl Silva for 18, leaving Sri Lanka 82 for six after 16.2 overs and still needing 33 from 22 balls.
Bangladesh remained in contention, but the match turned decisively during the next two overs. Sri Lanka collected 16 runs from the 18th over, with Samarawickrama striking a four and a six.
Another 11 followed from the 19th over, including a six from Kaushini Nuthyangana, leaving Sri Lanka needing only two runs from the final over.
A leg bye completed the chase with four balls remaining.
Marufa finished with three for 21 from four overs, while Sultana Khatun returned one for 14. Bangladesh’s effort was undermined by a missed opportunity in the deep during the closing stages.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mostary said Bangladesh had believed they could defend the total until the 18th over.
“Until the 18th over, the match was in our hands,” she said. “We missed a catch at deep mid-wicket. Maybe if we had taken that catch, we could have won the match.”
She admitted Bangladesh had fallen well short of the score they had initially targeted.
“We were looking for 140-plus, but we became slow in the middle phase,” Mostary said. “In the last three or four overs, we could not make use of them. We need to improve both our batting and fielding.”
Samarawickrama said her priority had been to adapt to the match situation after Sri Lanka’s early collapse.
“I am very happy with my performance because it contributed to the team winning, and that is the most important thing,” she said. “I just played my normal game according to the situation.”
Athapaththu praised Sri Lanka’s middle order for completing the chase after she and several other top-order batters had failed.
“I didn’t contribute with the bat or the ball today, but the way the youngsters played was really good for us,” she said.
“Harshitha is one of the best players in our team. She knows how to handle pressure, and Nilakshika is in good form as well. Before the semi-finals, these are very positive signs for us.”
Athapaththu said Sri Lanka had tried to remain positive against Marufa despite the fast bowler’s excellent spell.
“We knew she was a very good bowler,” she said. “We wanted to attack rather than defend, but the plan did not work and we lost three wickets to her. She bowled really well.”
Sri Lanka advance to the semi-finals with their unbeaten record intact, while Bangladesh must now turn their attention to their final group match against hosts UAE, which could decide the remaining semi-final place from Group B.
