Fatima Sana’s all-round brilliance in vain as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan to reach Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final
Sri Lanka Women booked their place in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 final with a four-wicket win over Pakistan Women in a tense semi-final in Dubai. After restricting Pakistan to 130/5, Sri Lanka overcame a difficult start in their chase to reach 134/6 with eight balls to spare.
Pakistan were reduced to 52/4 at one stage before Fatima Sana played a crucial innings to give her side a competitive total. Sana then struck twice late in Sri Lanka’s chase, but Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari had already shifted the momentum with a vital partnership.
Fatima Sana leads Pakistan’s recovery after early collapse
Pakistan struggled against Sri Lanka’s spinners after being asked to bat first. Chamari Athapaththu removed Shawaal Zulfiqar and Ayesha Zafar in her first two overs, while Sugandika Kumari dismissed Muneeba Ali to leave Pakistan in serious trouble. Chamudi Prabodha added to their problems by having Sadaf Shamas stumped in the 10th over.
Pakistan reached the halfway stage at 52/4, but Sana produced a brilliant counter-attacking innings to revive the batting effort. After initially taking six deliveries to settle in, she switched gears with a boundary, a sweep for four and a six over square leg, quickly changing the momentum of the innings.
Gull Feroza contributed 21 off 32 before falling in the 16th over, while Tuba Hassan added a useful 12 off 10. Sana remained composed during the closing overs, finding boundaries when opportunities arose to finish with 47 off 36 balls. Her efforts helped Pakistan reach 130/5, with 78 runs coming from the final 10 overs.
Harshitha Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari guide Sri Lanka through tense chase
Sri Lanka’s chase began disastrously as they slipped to 5/2 before reaching 33/4 inside the opening 10 overs. Sana played a major role in the early damage, dismissing two of Sri Lanka’s top three, including captain Athapaththu. Harshitha then joined forces with Kavisha Dilhari to bring Sri Lanka back into the contest. The pair added 67 runs from 59 deliveries, combining smart running between the wickets with timely boundaries to keep the required rate within reach.
Sana returned late in the innings to dismiss both Samarawickrama, who made 36 off 31, and Dilhari, who scored 33 off 33. Nilakshika Silva and Kaushini Nuthyangana remained composed during the closing stages, with Nuthyangana hitting the boundary that left Sri Lanka needing only five runs from 11 deliveries. The pair completed the chase with eight balls remaining, giving Sri Lanka a four-wicket victory and a second consecutive Women’s Asia Cup final appearance. They will face India in the final on Sunday.
Sri Lanka seal a 4-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup Semi-final 🔥#SLvPAK #WomensAsiaCup pic.twitter.com/D3sAM0ZJ08
— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) September 12, 2026
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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
