Sri Lanka’s captain, Chamari Athapaththu, expressed strong confidence in her team’s ability to tackle any opponent in the upcoming Women’s Asia Cup final. Following their recent four-wicket victory over Pakistan, Athapaththu highlighted the depth and composure of her squad. She particularly praised the young batting unit for their resilience in handling early match pressure, showcasing their potential to perform under challenging circumstances.
Harshita scored 36 while Dilhari contributed 33 before both fell in the 17th over, leaving Sri Lanka needing 30 runs from the final 23 balls. Because the youngsters (are) doing really good, and the way the batters batted, it’s amazing to watch,.
So if we can execute our plans in the final, I think we can beat any team,” Athapaththu said after Sri Lanka’s semi-final win. The Sri Lankan skipper believes the side’s strength lies in the number of players capable of taking responsibility when the situation demands it. “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. Reflecting on Sri Lanka’s overall display, Athapaththu praised the team’s effort with both ball and bat, while acknowledging that there was room for improvement in the field. “As a bowling unit, we did really good, and we dropped a couple of catches when we were fielding, but we did really good. That’s a very good thing for the team and the nation as well,” she added. Nilakshi de Silva and Kaushani Nuthyangana then completed the job, taking the defending champions through with eight balls to spare.
The victory sent Sri Lanka into their second consecutive Women’s Asia Cup final, where they will face India at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
