Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have secured their spots in the semifinals of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024, following impressive victories against Thailand and Malaysia on Wednesday. Sri Lanka, the host nation, comfortably defeated Thailand by 10 wickets, chasing down a modest target of 94 runs.
In the earlier match, Bangladesh cruised to a resounding 114-run victory over Malaysia. Murshida Khatun and Nigar Sultana led the charge for Bangladesh, scoring 80 and 62* respectively, to propel their team to a strong total of 191/2 in their allotted overs. Malaysia’s chase was thwarted by the impressive bowling performance of the Bangladeshi bowlers, ultimately restricting Malaysia to a meager 77/8. Elsa Hunter was the top scorer for Malaysia with 20 runs.
Thailand, needing a significant win to keep their semifinal hopes alive, opted to bat first after winning the toss against Sri Lanka. However, the Sri Lankan bowlers maintained a tight grip throughout, limiting Thailand to a paltry score of 93/7. N Koncharoenkai was the sole bright spot for Thailand, remaining unbeaten on 47 runs.
Sri Lanka’s chase was a breeze, as openers Chamari Athapaththu and Vishmi Gunaratne guided their team to victory in a comfortable 11.3 overs. Athapaththu remained unbeaten on 49, while Gunaratne contributed 39 runs.
The semifinal matchups are now set. Bangladesh will face India in the first semifinal on July 26, followed by a clash between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in the second semifinal later that day. Both semifinals will be played in Dambulla, Sri Lanka.
