Sri Lanka secured their place in the semifinal of the women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games 2026 with a commanding 86-run victory over Malaysia in the third quarterfinal at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, on Friday, September 18.

The Sri Lankan side produced a complete all-round performance, with Chamari Athapaththu and Kavisha Dilhari making significant contributions with both bat and ball. Athapaththu top-scored with 63, while Dilhari remained unbeaten on 44 before the duo returned to pick up two wickets apiece.

Sri Lanka’s victory has set up a semifinal clash against Pakistan on Sunday, September 20.

Chamari Athapaththu leads Sri Lanka’s batting charge

Sri Lanka made a cautious start after choosing to bat first, managing only 10 runs during the opening four overs. Their early progress was further hampered when Imesha Dulani departed.

However, the innings changed dramatically in the fifth over. Athapaththu took the attack to Malaysia’s bowlers, collecting 23 runs from Aisya Eleesa’s over and immediately shifting the momentum in Sri Lanka’s favour.

Hasini Perera continued the acceleration by hitting two boundaries in the following over. Sri Lanka finished the powerplay on 38/1, having recovered strongly from their slow beginning.

Athapaththu continued to dictate terms and reached her half-century from only 28 balls, bringing up the milestone with a six in the 11th over. Her aggressive approach gave Sri Lanka the platform they needed to post a competitive total.

Kavisha Dilhari finishes the Sri Lankan innings strongly

Sri Lanka’s progress was briefly checked when Nurin Imanina struck twice across three overs to dismiss both established batters.

Malaysia, however, could not maintain the pressure for long. Dilhari and Harshitha Samarawickrama joined forces and added a valuable 62-run partnership, ensuring Sri Lanka finished their innings strongly.

Dilhari was particularly destructive during the closing stages. All six of her boundaries came after the 16th over as she found the gaps regularly and punished loose deliveries.

Her unbeaten 44 helped Sri Lanka reach 160/4, giving their bowlers a substantial total to defend.

Dilhari produces early breakthroughs for Sri Lanka

Malaysia’s chase immediately ran into trouble.

Sri Lanka had already benefited from an early run-out, with Ainna Hamizah Hashim dismissed in the opening over. Dilhari then delivered another major blow, removing Wan Julia and Mas Elysa off consecutive deliveries to finish the sixth over.

Malaysia ended the powerplay at 25/3, leaving themselves with a mountain to climb.

The Sri Lankan bowlers maintained their discipline throughout the remainder of the innings. Malaysia struggled to find boundaries and could not generate the scoring momentum required to challenge the target.

One of the clearest indications of Sri Lanka’s bowling dominance was Malaysia’s inability to score freely during the middle overs.

Only one boundary was scored between the seventh and 18th overs, while Malaysia managed just 40 runs during that period. The lack of boundaries meant the required run rate continued to climb, placing increasing pressure on the batters.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers consistently forced Malaysia to play percentage cricket, and the scoreboard pressure eventually became too much.

Athapaththu then joined the wicket-taking effort, claiming two wickets in the 19th over and effectively ending any remaining hopes of a late fightback.

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Sri Lanka seal 86-run victory over Malaysia

Mithali Ayodhya completed the job in the final over by adding two more wickets to her tally. Malaysia eventually finished on 74/7, well short of Sri Lanka’s target of 161.

The 86-run victory was a reflection of Sri Lanka’s superiority throughout the contest. Their batting unit recovered from a slow start to post a challenging total, while their bowlers ensured Malaysia never established a meaningful partnership during the chase.

Athapaththu and Dilhari stood out as the key performers, contributing with both bat and ball to guide their team into the last four.

A complete clinical performance from Sri Lanka post 160/4 and restricted Malaysia to 74/7 to seal 86-run victory ✅#SriLankaCricket #AsianGames2026 pic.twitter.com/mfurvBj3o4

— WomenCricket.com (@WomenCricketHQ) September 18, 2026

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This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.

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