Sri Lanka kept their hopes of reaching the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semifinals alive after staging a nerve-shredding, three-wicket win over a highly competitive Scotland side at Old Trafford. Chasing a target of 152, Sri Lanka women crossed the finish line on the penultimate ball of the match. They have now completed their 5 matches and earned 6 points. They need an improbable Ireland victory over West Indies to make it to the knockout stage.
Scotland women set a competitive total
Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, Sri Lanka did not find it easy to contain Scotland’s batting unit totally. Openers Darcey Carter (34 off 36 balls) and Katherine Fraser gave the team a stable platform. However, it was a crucial 53-run partnership for the fourth wicket that truly shifted the momentum.
Ailsa Lister played an aggressive cameo, smashing four boundaries in her quickfire 26, before being run out by a sharp direct hit from Nilakshika Silva. Wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Bryce anchored the backend beautifully, frustrating the Sri Lankan attack with an unbeaten 47 off just 33 balls. Her boundary off the final ball propelled Scotland to a highly competitive 151/6 in their allotted 20 overs. For Sri Lanka women, Mithali Ayodhya was the pick of the front-line bowlers, claiming 2/34, while Kavisha Dilhari bowled a highly disciplined spell to finish with 1/19 in 4 overs.
Sri Lanka women keep semifinal hopes alive
Sri Lanka knew they needed a rapid chase to boost their Net Run Rate (NRR). Skipper Chamari Athapaththu took the attack to the Scottish bowlers instantly, blazing 33 runs off a mere 16 deliveries, featuring six boundaries and a six. Her fireworks helped Sri Lanka score 65 runs in the Powerplay, their highest in the tournament.
But once Katherine Fraser bowled Athapaththu in the sixth over, Sri Lanka became cautious. Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce took 2/28 to unsettle the middle order, while Rachel Slater kept the scoring in check. Contributions from Harshitha Samarawickrama (27), Hasini Perera (23), and an unbeaten 21 from Nilakshika Silva kept Sri Lanka in contention, but the chase still came down to a tense final over.
Needing seven from the last six balls, Sri Lanka faced a dramatic finish. Slater allowed only singles from her first three deliveries before suffering a serious knee injury in her follow-through and leaving the field in tears. Priyanaz Chatterji was forced to complete the over under heavy pressure, conceding a single before Sugandika Kumari struck the winning boundary with one ball remaining to seal victory at 154/7.
The win was important for Sri Lanka, especially as it marked the first time they secured three victories in a single T20 World Cup edition. However, they could not improve their NRR enough, and their semifinal destiny remains largely dependent on other results.
Brief scores: Scotland 151/6 in 20 overs (Sarah Bryce 47*, Darcey Carter 34; Mithali Ayodhya 2-34) lost to Sri Lanka 154/7 in 19.5 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 33, Nilakshi Silva 21*; Katherine Fraser 2-25, Kathryn Bryce 2-28) by 3 wickets
Player of the Match: Nilakshika Silva
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