Samarawickrama and Dilhari carry Sri Lanka past Pakistan into a Women's Asia Cup final with India

Sri Lanka recovered from 33 for 4 to chase down Pakistan's 130 for 5 in Dubai and set up a Women's Asia Cup final against an unbeaten India

Defending champions Sri Lanka Women beat Pakistan Women by four wickets in the second semi-final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday, reaching 134 for 6 with eight balls to spare.

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana did almost everything she could to prevent it, holding the innings together with an unbeaten 47 from 36 balls and then taking four wickets, two of them in the first over of the chase.

Sri Lanka now meet India in Sunday's final at the same ground, a repeat of the 2024 decider that gave them their first Asia Cup title.

Fatima Sana holds Pakistan together

Sri Lanka won the toss and bowled, and Pakistan lost their way early. Sugandika Kumari removed Muneeba Ali in the second over, and the innings had slipped to 52 for 4 inside ten overs.

Fatima came in with the innings in pieces and batted through to the end. She added 40 with Gull Feroza, who made 21 from 32 balls, then 38 more in the last four overs with Tuba Hassan, unbeaten on 12 from 10.

Shawaal Zulfiqar had provided the only other impetus with 24 from 16 balls. Fatima was cramping in the Dubai heat by the time the innings closed on 130 for 5.

Two down in the first over

Her response with the ball was immediate. Fatima dismissed Chamari Athapaththu and Sanjana Kavindi in the first over of the reply to leave Sri Lanka 5 for 2.

Two further wickets followed and the defending champions were 33 for 4, still 98 short of their target.

Sri Lanka's own bowlers had built the position they were now defending, Athapaththu and Chamudi Prabodha taking two wickets each to hold Pakistan to a total that looked short of par at the halfway point.

The partnership that turned the chase

The fifth-wicket pair of Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari settled it, adding 67 from 59 balls largely in singles.

Samarawickrama made 36 from 31 and Dilhari 33 from 33. Both fell to Fatima late in the innings, but by then the equation had shrunk to something the lower order could handle.

Nilakshika Silva and Kaushini Nuthyangana, who hit her first six in international cricket, saw Sri Lanka home unbeaten with eight balls in hand.

Athapaththu points to her finishers

"The way Harshitha and Kavisha batted, it's amazing. They absorbed the pressure, they took singles and played really good. Under pressure, that partnership was match-winning," Athapaththu said afterwards.

She was as pleased with the bowling. "As a bowling unit, we did really good, and we dropped a couple of catches when we were fielding, but we did really good. And the way the batters batted, it's amazing to watch, because the youngsters (are) doing really good," she said.

On the final, the Sri Lanka captain was direct: "We have good finishers like Harshitha, Nilakshika, Kavisha. Most of the players are playing really good, even the bowling unit. So we have good players. So if we can execute our plans in the final, I think we can beat any team."

A rematch of the 2024 final

India reached the final without losing a match in the tournament, having beaten Bangladesh in the first semi-final in Dubai earlier in the week.

The two sides last met in an Asia Cup final in 2024, when Sri Lanka beat India by eight wickets to take the title for the first time.

Pakistan go out at the semi-final stage once more, beaten despite an all-round performance from their captain that carried them to within eight balls of the final.

Scorecard: Pakistan Women 130 for 5 in 20 overs (Fatima Sana 47*, Shawaal Zulfiqar 24, Gull Feroza 21) lost to Sri Lanka Women 134 for 6 in 18.4 overs (Harshitha Samarawickrama 36, Kavisha Dilhari 33; Fatima Sana four wickets) by four wickets.

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