Sri Lanka Women booked their place in the semi-finals of the Asian Games women’s cricket competition with a commanding 86-run victory over Malaysia in the third quarter-final at Nisshin on Friday.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first at Korogi Sports Park, Sri Lanka posted a formidable 160 for four from their 20 overs before restricting Malaysia to 74 for seven.
Captain Chamari Athapaththu led the way with an explosive 63 off 37 balls, striking seven fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 170.27.
Sri Lanka suffered an early setback when Imesha Dulani was run out for two, but Athapaththu and Hasini Perera rebuilt the innings with an 80-run partnership for the second wicket.
Athapaththu reached her half-century from just 28 balls, with six fours and three sixes, before falling for 63 in the 14th over.
Hasini contributed 23 from 26 balls, while Kavisha Dilhari provided the late acceleration with an unbeaten 44 from 27 deliveries, hitting six fours.
Harshitha Samarawickrama added 25 from 18 balls before being dismissed in the final over, with Sri Lanka finishing strongly at 160 for four.
Malaysia’s chase never gathered momentum as Sri Lanka’s bowlers maintained control from the outset.
Ainna Hamizah Hashim was run out for a duck in the first over, and Malaysia slipped to 25 for three inside six overs. Wan Julia made nine before falling to Kavisha Dilhari, who produced an outstanding spell of three overs for just four runs and two wickets.
Winifred Duraisingam offered some resistance with 28 from 47 balls, while Mahirah Izzati Ismail made 24 from 42. However, the Malaysian batting struggled to find boundaries against a disciplined Sri Lankan attack.
Mithali Ayodhya claimed two wickets for 15 runs, while captain Athapaththu added two wickets for just three runs from her two overs.
Malaysia were eventually restricted to 74 for seven from their 20 overs, finishing with a run rate of only 3.70.
Dilhari’s exceptional spell, combined with Athapaththu’s all-round contribution, underlined Sri Lanka’s dominance in the quarter-final.
The victory takes Sri Lanka into the semi-finals, keeping their Asian Games title campaign firmly on track.
Chief scores
Sri Lanka Women: 160/4 in 20 overs
Chamari Athapaththu 63, Kavisha Dilhari 44*, Harshitha Samarawickrama 25, Hasini Perera 23; Nurin Imanina 3/29.
Malaysia Women: 74/7 in 20 overs
Winifred Duraisingam 28, Mahirah Izzati Ismail 24; Kavisha Dilhari 2/4, Mithali Ayodhya 2/15, Chamari Athapaththu 2/3.
Sri Lanka Women won by 86 runs and advanced to the semi-finals.
