Sri Lankan won the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final, beating the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team by eight wickets and eight balls to spare. They created a history by winning the Asia Cup title for the first time, powered by half-centuries from Samarawickrama (70 off 52 balls) and Athapaththu (61 off 47 balls). Sri Lankans finally got the monkey off their back as they won their maiden Asia Cup title after dealing with four heartbreaking defeats in the finals before. While Harshitha was declared Player of the Match, Athapaththu received the Player of the Series award.
India Won the Toss, Decided to Bat First in Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final
India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur won the toss and decided to bat first in the final against Sri Lanka at Dambulla. She expressed that the used surface prompted her decision to bat first. Both these teams came to the final after winning their semi-final fixtures in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final. Shafali Varma dispatched the third ball of the first over behind for a four. She then drove Prabodhani through the covers for her second boundary in the next over. Smriti Mandhana joined in the act by piercing it through the covers for her first boundary in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final. She then swept a rank loosener bowled by Inoshi fine on the lg side. India reached 20 for no loss at the end of three overs.
Sri Lanka remained sloppy on the field by dropping a catch off Smriti Mandhana who then slogged Prabodhani for a boundary on the leg side. She followed that with an elegant scoop behind the wicketkeeper for another boundary. Smriti then lifted the delivery on the leg side to strike one more to the fence. At the end of six overs, India Women’s Team reached 44 for no ease loss.
Sri Lanka Dismissed Shafali Verma, Uma Chetry After the Powerplay
Kavisha Dilhari had Shafali Varma leg before wicket for 16, hitting two boundaries. Shafali stepped out of the crease, but Kavisha was smart enough to shorten her length to trap her leg before. Although the ball hit her around the knee roll and had some distance to cover, it looked close with a naked eye. Uma Chetry after playing a few deliveries safely dispatched Nisansala for a boundary by going down on one knee. However, Chamari Athapaththu trapped her leg before the next over. Uma played a sweep to a delivery that was too full to play that shot. Mandhana, however, dispatched a short delivery of Chamari to the fence for four. At the end of 10 overs, India reached 68 for 2 in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final.
A Look at How India Consolidated from 11-15 Overs
Smriti Mandhana played an inside out shot on the last ball of the 11th over that got her 8th boundary. Courtesy of that, India reached 77 for 2. She further smashed one short delivery of Nisansala for a boundary on the leg side. Harmanpreet Kaur got into the act by sweeping hard into the deep mid-wicket region off Nisansala for a boundary. However, Harmanpreet was out the next ball as she closed the face of the bat and Nilakshi de Silva took a diving catch on the off side.
Smriti got to her 50 the next over, facing just 36 balls. Sri Lanka suddenly found a spring in their stride. Jemimah Rodrigues almost handed a catch to Priyadarshani as the batter played the ball a little earlier. But soon, she got a measure of the pitch as she played a deft shot behind the wicket for three runs. Smriti then moved out of her crease to free her arms through the off side for a boundary. India reached 100 for 3 at the end of 14 overs. Rodrigues then bent down on one knee and smashed a four in the deep square leg region. She got another boundary courtesy of a poor fielding. Jemimah finished the 15th over of the innings with a lofted shot. India reached 114 for 3 at the end of 15 overs.
The Slog Over Drama in Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final
The stage was set for a good finish as both Smriti and Jemimah were in their elements. A heartbreak for Sri Lanka as Chamari bowled a no-ball on which she took Mandhana’s catch. Jemimah dispatched the free hit delivery for a six on the leg side. A costly miss for Sri Lanka. Jemimah Rodrigues, however, misjudged the second run as she was found short of the crease despite putting in the dive. Richa Ghosh smashed a boundary on the first ball she faced. She cleared her front leg to loft the ball over the extra cover region for a four. Mandhana was out looking to smack one out of the ground. Sri Lankan Skipper Chamari covered some ground to take a good running catch. She was out for a valiant 60. India were five down for 133 at the end of 16.5 overs.
Richa Blossomed with the Bat
Two new batters were on the crease and Sri Lanka sensed a comeback in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final. Harshitha failed to take a catch offered by Richa off the bowling of Sugandika. She ill-timed her jump and Richa escaped. Dilhari had Richa caught behind the wicket. However, the umpire was unmoved. There was a massive edge to the wicketkeeper. No wonder the Sri Lankans were lived by the umpire’s decision.
Richa added insult to the injury by hitting two boundaries and a six to take India’s total to 158 for 5 in 19 overs. Richa started the 20th over by smashing a wide delivery on the off side for a four. The Indian wicketkeeper batter got a couple in the third ball and perished the next ball trying to lift it past the wicketkeeper. However, Richa could only manage to give a simple catch to the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani. India, courtesy of Richa’s blitzkrieg at the end, reached 165 for 6 batting first in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final.
SL Started the Chase on a Cautious Note
Vishmi Gunaratne was out of the blocks straightaway by guiding an incoming delivery to the square leg for a single. Chamari carried her form by piercing one through the covers for a boundary. SL reached five for no loss at the end of the first over. Vishmi was, however, out runout in the second over as her captain Chamari didn’t respond to her call. A soft dismissal Sri Lanka could not have dreamt of in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final.
Chamari Athapaththu dismissed a half-volley from Renuka Singh over the mid-off region for a boundary in the first ball of the third over. Athapaththu smashed a short delivery of Renuka to fence on the leg side to take Sri Lanka to 17 for 1 at the end of 3 overs in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final. Harshitha Samarawickrama swept to get a boundary at long-on off the bowling of Deepti Sharma. Chamari welcomed Tanuja Kanwar with two maximums on the leg side followed by a boundary through the covers. SL reached 44 for 1 at the end of six overs, exactly the score India achieved batting first by losing no wicket.
Here’s How SL Responded After the Powerplay in Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final
Radha Yadav was introduced to the bowling attack as Samarawickrama scored three of the first two balls. Chamari then squeezed one through the covers for a two and then a boundary behind the wicket. Samarawickrama then reverse swept Deepti for a four, thanks to sloppy fielding by Radha Yadav who could not bend down in time. The number three Sri Lankan batter employed reverse sweep against Radha Yadav to hit another boundary in the 9th over. Radha Yadav bowled one above the waist of Samarawickrama. It was called a no ball and Sri Lanka were awarded a free hit well capitalised by Chamari who hit a one-bounce four straight down the ground. Athapaththu completed a half-century in the 10th over by smashing a four on the leg side. Sri Lanka reached 80 for 1 at the end of 10 overs.
SL Continue to Torment Indian Bowlers After the Halfway Stage in Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final
Time for India to act out of the box to stem the flow of runs. Tanuja Kanwar gave away just five runs in the 11th over. However, Chamari soon got into the boundary mode by dismissing Deepti through the mid-off region for a boundary. She then followed it with a straight hit for four. Deepti, however, bowled Chamari behind the legs in the last ball of the 12th over. Chamari scored a brisk 61 off 47 balls, smashing nine fours and two sixes. Sri Lanka were 94 for 2 at the end of 12 overs. Sri Lanka crossed the 100-run mark in 13.1 overs as Samarawickrama paddled one behind the wicket. She followed that by pulling the delivery over the fine-leg fielder for a maximum. Kavisha Dilhari stepped out of the crease to hit Radha Yadav for a six in the deep mid-wicket boundary. Sri Lanka reached 123 for 2 at the end of 15 overs in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final.
The Final 5-over Display in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final
Harmanpreet Kaur dropped a straightforward catch of Samarawickrama off the bowling of Deepti in the 16th over. You can’t afford dropped catches, you simply can’t in a match like this. Kavisha smashed a relatively wide delivery of Deepti to a boundary, taking Sri Lanka to 132 for 2 in 16 overs. The two batters put the pressure on the boundary riders by converting the ones into twos. Harshitha completed her half-century by taking a quick single in the 17th over of Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 Final. She then muscled Radha Yadav for a maximum in the deep mid-wicket region in the first delivery of the 18th over. The next ball was dispatched over the extra cover region for four. Harshitha smashed the fifth delivery to the fence to bring the winning target down to the single-digit mark.
Kavisha Dilhari played the winning shot by dismissing Pooja Vastrakar for a maximum. Sl chased down 166 in 18.4 overs. It was a clinical finish by the islanders.
