Sri Lanka booked their place in the Asian Games women’s cricket semifinal after a commanding 86-run victory over Malaysia at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin this past Friday, September 18. The win was spearheaded by stellar all-round displays from Chamari Athapaththu and Kavisha Dilhari, both of whom contributed significantly with the bat before dismantling the Malaysian lineup with the ball.
Sent in to bat first, the Sri Lankan side faced a slow start, losing Imesha Dulani while managing only 10 runs in the opening four overs. The momentum shifted in the fifth over when Athapaththu struck 23 runs off Aisya Eleesa, followed by Hasini Perera adding two boundaries, which propelled the total to 38 for 1 by the end of the Powerplay. Athapaththu maintained her aggressive form to reach a 28-ball fifty, anchoring a partnership that added 80 runs before Nurin Imanina claimed two wickets to remove the set batters.
Dilhari continued to build the momentum, partnering with Harshitha Samarawickrama for a 62-run stand that pushed Sri Lanka to a final score of 160 for 4. Dilhari played a pivotal role in the late innings, hitting all six of her boundaries after the 16th over. On the bowling side, Dilhari struck early, dismissing Wan Julia and Mas Elysa with consecutive deliveries to finish the sixth over, while Malaysia, having already lost Ainna Hamizah Hashim to a run-out, concluded their Powerplay at 25 for 3.
The Malaysian chase lacked urgency, with only a single boundary recorded between the seventh and 18th overs as the team added just 40 runs during that window. The game’s outcome became certain when Athapaththu took two wickets in the 19th over. Mithali Ayodhya then claimed two more scalps in the final over, restricting Malaysia to 74 for 7. Sri Lanka now prepares to face Pakistan in the first semifinal match scheduled for Sunday, September 20.
Match Summary: Sri Lanka 160/4 in 20 overs (Chamari Athapaththu 63, Kavisha Dilhari 44*; Nurin Imanina 3-29) defeated Malaysia 74/7 in 20 overs (Winfield Duraisingam 28, Mahirah Izzati Ismail 24; Chamari Athapaththu 2-3, Kavisha Dilhari 2-4) by 86 runs. The report also notes that malaysia’s respite was short-lived as another substantial partnership worth 62 brewed between Dilhari and Harshitha Samarawickrama. The report also notes that they continued to struggle against the Sri Lankan bowlers for the for the remainder of the innings and were unable to get anywhere close to the asking rate.
