Sri Lanka Triumphs Over UAE, Securing Spot in Women’s T20 World Cup
Match Summary
Sri Lanka and Scotland have emerged victorious from the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Qualifier tournament in Abu Dhabi. Both teams will now advance to the final match on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka’s openers, Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne, set a strong foundation for their team. Gunaratne started off with two fours in the second over, followed by Athapaththu’s consecutive sixes in the next over.
By the end of the Powerplay, Sri Lanka had already scored 48 runs, setting a strong pace for the semi-final match.
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Sri Lanka v UAE | Semi-final 2 | Match Highlights | Women’s T20WC Qualifier 2024
The UAE’s secret weapon, leg-spinner Vaishnave Mahesh, managed to take the wicket of Athapaththu in her first over, thanks to some excellent work by wicketkeeper Theertha Satish.
Despite this setback, Vishmi and Harshita Madavi kept the scoreboard ticking, even as the UAE tried to slow the scoring rate with their spinners.
Mahesh struck again in the 16th over, dismissing Harshitha for a 27-ball 24. Esha Oza then took two wickets in the next over, giving the UAE a much-needed boost.
However, late strikes from Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshika Silva pushed Sri Lanka’s score to 149/6.
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In the UAE’s innings, captain Oza was in fine form, scoring 25 off 18 balls in the first six overs, despite losing her opening partner early.
Oza’s sublime strokes kept the pressure on Sri Lanka, with Khushi Sharma joining her to accelerate the UAE’s run-rate.
Sugandika Kumari dismissed Khushi in the 10th over, but Oza continued her onslaught, reaching her half-century off just 34 balls.
However, Athapaththu and Prabodhani managed to take crucial wickets, slowing down the UAE’s charge.
Ultimately, Sri Lanka secured a 15-run victory, earning them a place in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in Bangladesh later this year.
The final of the Qualifier will see Sri Lanka face off against Scotland, who defeated Ireland in the other semi-final.