Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 4 wickets in the 10th match of the Women's Asia Cup 2026, sealing their place in the tournament's semifinal. It was Sri Lanka's third straight win of the competition, keeping their unbeaten run intact. Yet despite chasing a modest target of 115, their innings began disastrously, with half the side back in the pavilion inside the first few overs.
Bangladesh bowled out for just 114
Batting first, Bangladesh batted out their full 20 overs but could only put up 114 for the loss of 8 wickets, a modest total by T20 standards. Sobhana Mostary top-scored with 34 runs, holding the innings together to some extent. Dilara Akter chipped in with 26, while Zuvairia Firdous and Fahima Khatun both contributed 14 runs each. Apart from these four batters, no one else in the Bangladesh line-up could build a substantial innings, and that showed clearly in the team's modest final total. With the ball, Sri Lanka's Chamudi Prabodha was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 wickets and keeping the Bangladesh innings under pressure throughout.
Sri Lanka slip to 44 for 5
Despite the small target of 115, Sri Lanka's chase got off to a shaky start right from the first over. Captain Chamari Atapattu was dismissed for just 1 run, an early setback that set the tone for the innings. Sri Lanka lost two more wickets within the powerplay itself, denting both their momentum and confidence. Vishmi Gunaratne and Kavisha Dilhari were then dismissed in the 9th and 10th overs respectively, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 44 for 5. At that stage, Bangladesh appeared to have a firm grip on the match, and a Sri Lankan defeat looked like a real possibility.
Harshitha's unbeaten 48 turns the game around
It was in these difficult circumstances that Harshitha Samarawickrama, coming in at number five, played a composed and memorable innings. She put together a crucial 38-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Nilakshika Silva, steadying the innings and keeping the chase alive. With 29 runs still needed off the final 3 overs, Harshitha turned aggressive, hitting 16 runs in the 18th over and another 11 in the 19th, tilting the momentum decisively in Sri Lanka's favour. Sri Lanka eventually completed the chase with a 4-wicket win off the second ball of the 19th over. Harshitha finished unbeaten on 48, striking 4 fours and 2 sixes, and was named Player of the Match for her match-winning knock.
Sri Lanka become the second team to reach the semifinal
With this win, Sri Lanka became the second team, after India, to book their place in the Women's Asia Cup 2026 semifinal. India had already confirmed their own semifinal spot earlier in the tournament on the back of their results. Sri Lanka's third consecutive win now marks them out as one of the tournament's most consistent sides, while the defeat is a setback for Bangladesh, who will need to improve in their remaining fixtures. Attention now turns to the rest of the group games to see which two teams claim the final semifinal spots.
