Chamari Athapaththu Smashes Unbeaten 83 to Guide Sri Lanka into Final

Sri Lanka Women secured their place in the 2026 Asian Games final after skipper Chamari Athapaththu produced an electric unbeaten 83 to comfortably chase down a target of 178 against Pakistan Women.

Pakistan's Strong Total: Opting to bowl first, Sri Lanka found themselves on the back foot as Pakistan posted a formidable 177/4. After early stumbles left Pakistan at 42/2 in the powerplay, Ayesha Zafar (71 off 40 balls) and Shawaal Zulfiqar (54 off 50 balls) staged a dominant century partnership to build a solid foundation.  

Sri Lanka's Controlled Powerplay: In pursuit of 178, opener Imesha Dulani provided a steady start with 27 runs off 21 balls before being dismissed at 36/1 in the 5th over.  

The Athapaththu Masterclass: Skipper Chamari Athapaththu took complete control of the chase, unleashing a brutal blitz of 83* off just 50 deliveries, punctuated by 7 fours and 6 sixes. She reached her half-century in 37 balls before accelerating heavily in the closing overs.  

Decisive Partnerships: Athapaththu anchored a crucial 95-run partnership for the second wicket alongside Hasini Perera (42 off 26 balls). Following Perera's departure, she partnered with Harshitha Samarawickrama (17* off 12 balls) to easily cross the line.  

Emphatic Victory: Sri Lanka scaled the 178-run target with 13 balls to spare, finishing on 178/2 in 17.5 overs to seal an eight-wicket win and move into the gold-medal match. Zafar and Zulfiqar put on 115 for the third wicket in 70 balls, and nearly all the heavy hitting came from one end, with Zulfiqar contributing 37 off 30 to the partnership.

Sri Lanka 181 for 2 (Athapaththu 83*, Hasini 42) beat Pakistan 177 for 4 (Zafar 71, Zulfiqar 54) by eight wickets