New Delhi .Sri Lanka has confirmed its place in the semi-finals of the Women's Asia Cup 2026 by defeating Bangladesh by four wickets. After India, Sri Lanka has become the second team to reach the last four of the tournament. After the group stage matches, two semi-final places are still vacant and Pakistan and Bangladesh are claiming them.
The Sri Lankan team performed brilliantly in the group stage, registering three consecutive wins. However, his match against Bangladesh was not easy. While chasing the target, at one time the Sri Lankan team was in a difficult situation after scoring only 44 runs for five wickets. After this Harshita Samarawickrama took the responsibility and led the team to victory.
Batting first, Bangladesh had set a target of 115 runs for Sri Lanka. Despite the small target, the Sri Lankan innings had a very poor start. Captain Chamari Atapattu was out after scoring one run in the very first over. By the time the powerplay ended, the team lost a few more wickets, leaving Bangladesh in a strong position in the contest.
Marufa Akhtar performed effectively in bowling for Bangladesh. After the dismissal of Vishmi Gunaratne in the ninth over and Kavisha Dilhari in the next over, Sri Lanka's score became 44 runs for five wickets. At this time Bangladesh team looked to be a strong contender for victory.
Harshitha Samarawickrama, who came to bat at number five in a difficult situation, handled the innings with patience. She made an important partnership of 38 runs for the sixth wicket with Nilakshika Silva. This partnership brought Sri Lanka back into the contest and strengthened their hopes of victory.
In the last leg, Sri Lanka had to score fast runs to win. The team had a target of 29 runs in the last three overs. Harshita batted aggressively under pressure and scored 16 runs in the 18th over. After this, by scoring 11 runs in the 19th over, he brought Sri Lanka very close to victory.
Sri Lanka achieved the target on the second ball of the 19th over. The team won the match with four wickets remaining. Harshita Samarawickrama's innings full of restraint and aggression was the most important reason for this victory. Despite the initial setbacks, he managed the innings and took the team to the semi-finals.
India has already reached the semi-finals after registering consecutive wins in the group stage. The Indian team has to play its semi-final match on September 10. The second placed team in Group B will face India. At present there is competition between Pakistan and Bangladesh for this place.
Sri Lanka will play its semi-final match on 11 September. In front of him will be the second-placed team in Group A. Because of this, the result of the final matches of the group stage will decide the further picture of the tournament.
Pakistan's last match in the group stage is yet to be against Hong Kong. Pakistan has a chance to secure its place in the semi-finals by winning this match. Bangladesh's hopes will also depend on other results. Sri Lanka's victory has cleared the picture of the last four to a great extent, but the competition for the remaining two places is still open.