MANCHESTER, England – A heart-stopping final-over finish at Old Trafford on Friday handed Sri Lanka a narrow three-wicket win over Scotland, keeping alive the underdog side’s slim hopes of reaching the Women’s Twenty20 World Cup semifinals for the first time in tournament history.
Scotland, appearing in its second consecutive T20 World Cup, posted a competitive total of 151 for 6 after 20 overs. Only top-order batter Sarah Bryce put Sri Lanka’s bowling attack under sustained pressure: stepping in after her sister and Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce fell to leave the side 66-2 in the 10th over, Sarah Bryce hit an unbeaten 47 off 33 deliveries, including a boundary off the final ball of Scotland’s innings to push the team past the 150 mark.
Chasing a 152-run target to secure victory, Sri Lanka got off to a blistering start: veteran captain Chamari Athapaththu, competing in her 10th T20 World Cup, smashed 33 runs off just 16 deliveries before being dismissed with Sri Lanka at 57-2 in the sixth over. After Athapaththu’s exit, Sri Lanka’s batting lineup slowed dramatically, dragging out the chase and reaching 154 for 7 on the second-to-last ball of the final over.
The dramatic closing sequence began when Scotland medium-pacer Rachel Slater was tasked with defending seven runs from the six deliveries of the last over. She gave up just one single off each of her first three balls before suddenly pulling up in pain and collapsing to the pitch with a suspected knee injury. Distressed, Slater eventually left the field in tears, forcing Scotland to call on alternate bowler Priyanaz Chatterji to finish the over. Chatterji gave up a single on her first delivery before tailender Sugandika Kumari hit a match-winning boundary to seal the three-wicket victory.
While the win marks Sri Lanka’s third victory of the tournament — its best ever performance at a single Women’s T20 World Cup — the slow, last-ball finish barely improved the side’s net run rate, leaving its semifinal hopes hanging by a thread. West Indies now holds the upper hand for the second and final semifinal spot in Sri Lanka’s group, and will secure qualification if it beats winless Ireland in its final group match on Saturday.
For Scotland, the heartbreaking last-over defeat consigns the side to a fifth-place finish in the group, falling short of the fourth-place spot that would have granted direct qualification for the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup hosted by Pakistan.
Saturday’s tournament schedule also includes a matchup between the Netherlands and Pakistan, and a group-stage game between already semifinal-qualified England and defending champion New Zealand.