Sri Lanka Women booked their place in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final with a four-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second semi-final at the Dubai International Stadium on September 11. Chasing 131, the defending champions recovered from a difficult start to reach 134/6 in 18.4 overs, thanks to crucial partnerships from Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari before Nilakshika Silva and Kaushini Nuthyangana finished the job. Pakistan captain Fatima Sana impressed with an unbeaten 47 and four wickets, but her all-round effort was not enough to prevent defeat.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu chose to field. Pakistan suffered an early setback when Muneeba Ali was dismissed for 2 in the second over by Sugandika Kumari. Shawaal Zulfiqar counterattacked with 24 off 16 balls, hitting two fours and two sixes, but Athapaththu removed her to leave Pakistan at 29/2.
Pakistan’s innings continued to lose momentum as Gull Feroza (21), Ayesha Zafar (7) and Sadaf Shamas (8) all fell before the halfway mark, reducing the side to 52/5. Fatima Sana then led the recovery with a composed unbeaten 47 from 36 deliveries, striking four fours and two sixes. She first added 40 runs with Sadaf before sharing an unbeaten 38-run stand with Tuba Hassan, who contributed 12 not out from 10 balls, lifting Pakistan to 130/5.
Sri Lanka’s bowlers shared the workload effectively. Athapaththu and Chamudi Praboda claimed two wickets each, while Sugandika Kumari picked up one. Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshika Silva also kept the scoring under control with economical spells.
Sri Lanka’s chase got off to the worst possible start as Fatima Sana dismissed Athapaththu for 5 and Sanjana Kavindi for a duck in consecutive deliveries, reducing the hosts to 5/2. Hasini Perera managed only 3 before Imesha Dulani briefly steadied the innings with 24 off 21 balls, but Fatima struck again to leave Sri Lanka struggling at 33/4.
The match turned through a vital 67-run partnership between Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari. Harshitha made a fluent 36 from 31 balls, while Dilhari contributed 33 from 33 deliveries as the pair rebuilt the chase and shifted the pressure back onto Pakistan.
Fatima returned to remove both set batters and completed an outstanding four-wicket haul, giving Pakistan renewed hope with Sri Lanka at 109/6. However, Nilakshika Silva responded with an unbeaten 18 from just 10 balls, while Kaushini Nuthyangana struck a quickfire 10 not out from four deliveries, including a six, as the pair added an unbeaten 25-run partnership to seal victory with eight balls remaining.
Fatima Sana finished with remarkable match figures, scoring an unbeaten 47 before taking 4/38 with the ball. Sadia Iqbal claimed one wicket, while Umm-e-Hani bowled economically but Pakistan were unable to defend their total after Sri Lanka’s middle-order recovery.
The victory sends Sri Lanka into the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final, where they will meet India after the latter defeated Bangladesh in the first semi-final. Sri Lanka’s composure under pressure, highlighted by the partnership between Harshitha and Dilhari and the late finishing touches from Nilakshika and Kaushini, proved enough to secure another appearance in the continental final.
