Women's T20 Asia Cup 2024, Match 12: Sri Lanka secure semifinal spot with a 10-wicket victory over Thailand

Sri Lanka put on a dominant display, beating Thailand by ten wickets in their final group match in Dambulla on Wednesday (July 24). They will now face Pakistan in the second semi-final on Friday, with India and Bangladesh playing in the first semi-final earlier the same day.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers were relentless, restricting Thailand to under 100 runs. Nannapat Koncharoenkai 47* was the only Thai batter to resist, scoring more than half of her team’s total. Kavisha Dilhari 2-13 led a flawless bowling performance, and Sri Lanka’s openers chased down the target with 51 balls to spare. Chamari Athapaththu 49* and Vishmi Gunaratne 39* easily crossed the finish line, keeping Sri Lanka’s unbeaten streak intact.

Sri Lanka dominated as expected, proving too strong for the inexperienced Thailand team. Despite decent batting conditions, Thailand struggled against Sri Lanka’s disciplined bowling. Their batting never gained momentum, and their bowlers couldn’t make an impact with such a low score to defend.

Thailand’s innings

Powerplay: Rough start

Thailand had a tough start, losing Nattaya Boochatham to Achini Kulasuriya’s first ball delivery. Inoshi Priyadarshani then dismissed Aphisara Suwanchonrathi, who hit three boundaries in her short innings. Thailand managed a slow Powerplay against accurate bowling.

Middle overs: Innings falls apart

Things got worse for Thailand as Sri Lanka’s spinners tightened their grip. Thailand lacked intent, except for Koncharoenkai, who fought alone. With a run rate under three per over, their innings collapsed beyond recovery. Dilhari took two wickets, while Athapaththu and Sugandika Kumari took one each.

Death overs: Decent finish

Thailand’s best phase came at the end, showing urgency in the last five overs. Though it didn’t lift them to a competitive total, they managed some runs. Koncharoenkai hit a few boundaries, and her partners chipped in. The final over yielded 13 runs, giving Thailand a slight morale boost despite the low total.

Sri Lanka’s chase

Powerplay: Steady start

With a low target, Athapaththu and Gunaratne took their time in the first six overs. They played carefully, without scoreboard pressure, yet Athapaththu showed her power with two big sixes. Gunaratne also found the boundary a few times, ensuring an easy start for Sri Lanka.

Middle overs: Easy finish

As the overs passed, the openers became more aggressive. Athapaththu hit two more sixes, and Gunaratne cleared the ropes once. Runs flowed smoothly, and though the final blow wasn’t a six, the duo finished the job with more than eight overs to spare. This win capped a perfect group stage for Sri Lanka, flawless in all three games.

Player of the Match: Athapaththu for her bristling knock and 1-15.

“Enjoying my cricket, don’t want to take too much risk. Just wanna play my natural game. Approach was see-ball-hit-ball. I enjoy hitting sixes because I work hard doing power hitting in the nets, so I continue it in the middle. I didn’t think of my individual landmark, was just thinking of winning the game [when asked about the bye they took to finish the game]. We wanna take it one game at a time, just be serious but at the same time not take too much pressure on my shoulders.”

Chamari Athapaththu performance in tournament

Chamari Athapaththu of Sri Lanka led the run charts with an impressive 180 runs from three matches at a striking rate of 155.17, showcasing her power-hitting prowess with 17 fours and 12 sixes. Athapaththu’s aggressive approach and consistent run scoring played a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s successful campaign, making her the most impactful player of the tournament and a key driver of her team’s success.

Athapaththu smashed an unbeaten 119* off just 69 balls, including 14 boundaries and seven sixes against Malaysia. Her knock of 119 is now her highest individual score in the shortest format, besting her 113 against Australia in North Sydney back in 2019