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A captain's knock by Chamari Athapaththu sealed Sri Lanka's date against India in the final of the Women's Asia Cup 2024 aftera nail-biting three-wicket win in the final over against Pakistan on Friday at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
Unlike the first semi-final, where Bangladesh were left clueless by India, a gripping match unfolded between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Both teams fought neck-to-neck till the end of the game for the last spot in the final. The stakes were high in the final over whether the game could have swung in anybody's favour. Athapaththu's restlessness in Sri Lanka's camp summed up the entire atmosphere in the stadium. The slow left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal orchestrated Sri Lanka's downfall with her crafty spells. As a result, Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals while chasing 141, but Athapaththu kept the hosts in the game by fighting a lone battle from one end. After Sri Lanka were reduced to 78/4 in 11.5 overs, Athapaththu found some solace after the arrival of Anushka Sanjeewani on the crease. The duo forged a 42-run stand to propel Sri Lanka back into the game. However, Pakistan's late surge saw them make a late comeback into the game. Athapaththu (63) departed in the 17th over, after almost taking the hosts across the finishing line. After his dismissal, the equation came down to 20 runs required off 18 deliveries. However, in the next three overs, fortune kept shifting on each ball, and the result kept rewriting itself again and again. Sri Lanka lost another wicket in the next over, leaving them tottering with 16 runs needed in the final two overs. Sugandika launched a brave attack against Nashra Sandhu in the penultimate over and accumulated 13 valuable runs for Sri Lanka. Pakistan skipper Nida Dar stepped up, aiming to bring her team home by defending three runs in the final over. She gave away no runs in the first two deliveries and removed Sugandika. With another dot ball, the equation came down to three runs required off three deliveries. Sri Lanka batters kept their cool while Nida momentarily lost her nerves, which saw Sri Lanka seal their place in the final with a delivery to spare. Anushka Sanjeewani scored the winning runs with a single. Earlier in the match, after being put to bat, Pakistan managed to put on a strong outing towards the end and put up a score of 140/4. Muneeba Ali's cautious 37 and Fatima Sana's unbeaten 23-run cameo played a crucial role in helping Pakistan put up a defendable total. Brief Score: Pakistan 140/4 (Muneeba Ali 37, Gull Feroza 25; Prabodhani 2-23) vs Sri Lanka 141/7 (Chamari Athapaththu 63, Anushka Sanjeewani 24*; Sadia Iqbal 4-16). (ANI)
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