From 44 for 5 to victory: Samarawickrama carries Sri Lanka into Asia Cup semifinals

Harshitha Samarawickrama turned a collapsing chase into a semifinal-clinching victory for Sri Lanka. The defending champions defeated Bangladesh by four wickets at Dubai International Stadium after recovering from 44 for five in the 10th over.

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Harshitha is one of the best players in our team. She knows how to handle the pressure, and Nilakshi supported her really well.

Sri Lanka needed 115 to win in the Group B match, but Bangladesh’s bowlers had the advantage on a slow pitch. Samarawickrama came in when Sri Lanka was 29 for three and held the innings together with an unbeaten 48 from 37 balls, including four fours and two sixes.

She shared 38 runs for the sixth wicket with Nilakshika Silva, who made 18. Silva fell in the 17th over with Sri Lanka still requiring 33 runs from 22 balls, but Samarawickrama responded with an aggressive counterattack alongside Kaushini Nuthyangana, who finished unbeaten on 11. Sri Lanka reached the target with four balls to spare.

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The way they batted in the middle under pressure was impressive. As a captain and as a team, we are really proud of how they played.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers had earlier restricted Bangladesh to 114 for eight. Left-arm spinners Chamudi Praboda took three wickets for 21 runs, while Sugandika Kumari claimed two for 22.

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I’m very happy about my performance. I think contributing to the team’s win is the most important thing for me.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu praised Samarawickrama’s composure and Silva’s support. Samarawickrama, named player of the match, said contributing to the team’s win mattered most to her. Bangladesh, second in Group B, now faces a must-win match against the UAE to reach the semifinals.

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I think we were short by 10 to 15 runs on this wicket.