Sri Lanka opt to bowl against Pakistan in Asia Cup semi-final
Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan in the second semi-final of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 at Dubai International Stadium on Friday. Pakistan reached the knockout stage after finishing second in Group A. They secured victories over Thailand and Hong Kong before suffering a heavy defeat against […]
In a Women's Asia Cup semi-final, Sri Lanka emerged victorious over Pakistan, securing their third consecutive semi-final win in the tournament. Chasing a target of 131 runs, Sri Lanka managed to reach 134-6, with Harshita Samarawickrama leading the charge with a 36-ball 36 off the bat. Fatima Sana, Pakistan's captain, scored an unbeaten 47 off 36 balls and claimed four wickets, but her efforts were not enough to secure the win.
The match began with Sri Lanka opting to bowl after winning the toss, meaning Pakistan faced the bowling attack first for the fourth consecutive match in the tournament. Pakistan's unchanged XI further compounded their disadvantage. Fatima made an early impact with the bat, but her innings were brought to an end by a sharp catch.
Despite Fatima's efforts, Sri Lanka put together a strong chase, with Harshita Samarawickrama and Tuba Hassan helping them to reach the target with seven balls to spare. The match marked Sri Lanka's third consecutive Asia Cup semi-final win over Pakistan, following their victories in the 2022 and 2024 editions. Sri Lanka will face India in the final on Sunday, a rematch of the previous edition's title clash.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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