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Chamari Athapaththu Leads From the Front as Sri Lanka Beat Pakistan to Enter Asian Games Gold Medal Match
Chamari Athapaththu scored an unbeaten 83 as Sri Lanka chased 179 with 13 balls to spare and advanced to Tuesday’s gold-medal match.
On Sunday, Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by eight wickets at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, advancing to the Asian Games 2026 gold-medal match. Skipper Chamari Athapaththu led the successful chase with 13 balls to spare.
Batting first, Pakistan reached 177-4, led by Ayesha Zafar's 71 and Shawaal Zulfiqar's 54. The total proved insufficient as Sri Lanka chased down the target in 17.5 overs.
Athapaththu powered the chase with an unbeaten 83 off 50 balls, striking seven fours and six sixes. She and Hasini Perera added 90 runs for the second wicket, putting Sri Lanka firmly in control.
Sri Lanka's victory advances them to Tuesday's gold-medal match, while Pakistan will compete for bronze. Sri Lanka previously defeated Pakistan in the T20 Asia Cup semi-final held in Dubai earlier this month.
The second semi-final between India and Bangladesh will determine Sri Lanka's gold-medal opponent. The outcome finalizes the matchup for the women's cricket event at the Asian Games.
The Sri Lankan women's team defeated Pakistan to advance to the final of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. Captain Chamari Atapattu performed brilliantly with both the bat and the ball for the Sri Lankan team.