From 44/5 To Victory: Samarawickrama Powers Sri Lanka Into Asia Cup Semis

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Harshitha Samarawickrama produced one of the finest knocks under pressure to guide Sri Lanka to a thrilling four-wicket win over Bangladesh at Dubai International Stadium as the defending champions earned a place in the semifinals of the 2026 T20 Women's Asia Cup on Sunday.

Chasing 115 for victory in the Group B encounter, the Sri Lankans were struggling at 44 for five in the 10th over.

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Number five batter Samarawickrama (48 not out off 37 balls, 4 fours, 2 sixes), who walked in at 29 for three, remained solid, absorbing the pressure from the Bangladesh bowlers on a slow wicket.

The 28-year-old left-hander revived the Lankan innings with Nilakshika Silva (18) as the two shared 38 runs for the sixth wicket.

But Silva's dismissal in the 17th over brought Bangladesh back into the game, with Sri Lanka still needing 33 runs off 22 balls.

Samarawickrama, though, remained unfazed by the challenge as she launched a stunning counterattack with good support from Kaushini Nuthyangana, who remained not out on 11, as Lanka reached home with four balls to spare.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu was all praise for Samarawickrama.

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

“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.”

Samarawickrama, who was named player of the match, was delighted with her match-winning display.

“I'm very happy about my performance. I think contributing to the team's win is the most important thing for me,” she said.

Earlier, left-arm spinners Chamudi Praboda (4-0-21-3) and Sugandika Kumari (4-1-22-2) delivered fantastic performances with the ball to help Sri Lanka restrict Bangladesh to 114 for eight.

“I think we were short by 10 to 15 runs on this wicket,” said Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana.

“After how we started our batting innings, we couldn't finish it off strongly during the last few overs.”

Bangladesh, who are second in Group B, face a must-win situation in their final group-stage game against the UAE for a place in the semifinals.

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