Sri Lanka created a historic moment in women’s cricket by clinching their first-ever Women’s Asia Cup title. In a thrilling final, they achieved this feat by defeating the tournament favorites, India. This victory marks a significant milestone for Sri Lankan women’s cricket, showcasing their growth and determination on the international stage.
Sri Lanka made history on Sunday by winning their first Women’s Asia Cup title with a strong performance against India. Chamari Athapaththu scored 61 runs and Harshitha Samarawickrama remained unbeaten with 69 runs, leading Sri Lanka to victory. They achieved this by beating India in the final match, held in front of their home crowd.
India, winning the toss, decided to bat first. Despite a good start, they lost some quick wickets. Smriti Mandhana’s 60 runs and Richa Ghosh’s quick 30 runs helped India reach a total of 165/6 in 20 overs.
In response, Sri Lanka began cautiously but gained momentum in the sixth over. Despite losing Athapaththu in the 12th over, Samarawickrama and Kavisha Dilhari (30* from 16) ensured victory in the 19th over, reaching 166/2.
This win was a significant achievement for Sri Lanka, having previously qualified for the Women’s T20 World Cup and won a series against South Africa. Athapaththu was named Player of the Tournament for her 304 runs and three wickets, while Samarawickrama was Player of the Match in the final.
The chase of 166 by Sri Lanka is their highest in women’s T20Is, bettering their chase of 156 against South Africa earlier this year. It is also the third-highest successful target chase by any team against India. Sri Lanka also recorded the highest successful target chase in the women’s T20 Asia Cup, bettering the 142-run chase by Bangladesh in 2018 against India in Kuala Lumpur.
Sri Lanka is only the third team to win the women’s T20 Asia Cup, after India and Bangladesh. India was victorious in 2012, 2016, and 2022, while Bangladesh won in 2018. India also won all four editions of the women’s ODI Asia Cup – 2004, 2005-06, 2006 and 2008.
