The Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2024 is coming to a close. On Friday at Dambulla, hosts Sri Lanka will play Pakistan in the semifinals, while India will play Bangladesh. Everything you need to know about recent performance, important players, and even where to watch the action is provided here.
India and Bangladesh
As we approach the first semi-final, India is the team in form. Ten of the 14 T20Is they have played this year have been won, with one ending in a draw. They recovered from their January 2-1 home series loss to Australia to sweep Bangladesh 5-0 and, following the cancellation of the second game of the series, drew 1-1 at home against South Africa.
Bangladesh has participated in 11 Twenty20 Internationals during this time, winning just their last two Asia Cup games. Their main worry going into the game was batting, but because to some helpful contributions from their captain, Nigar Sultana, they were able to gather runs at the top of the order and ended their losing streak against Thailand on Monday.
India vs Bangladesh – head-to-head
Over the years, they have faced off 22 times in this format, with India having the distinct advantage, winning 19 of those matches. When India won the series 2-1 in July of last year, Bangladesh put up a strong fight, but the most recent home series in Sylhet was heavily skewed in favour of the visitors.
However, India has faced Bangladesh in two wins and two losses at the Asia Cup. India will never forget how Bangladesh narrowly avoided defeat in 2018 to win their first Asia Cup, even if Bangladesh was soundly defeated there in Sylhet in 2022.
Players to watch
India will rely on their best all-around spin bowler, Deepti Sharma, to open the scoring quickly. With eight wickets at an economy rate of seven from three matches, she leads the competition in wicket-taking. Regardless of when Deepti was added to the attack, she has helped India make significant progress on schedule.
Murshida Khatun, the opener for Bangladesh, is anticipated to be a major contributor. After missing the first game against Sri Lanka, she is coming off an 80 and 50 and will be hoping to continue this momentum into the semi-finals.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan
Having won 12 of the 15 Twenty20 Internationals this year, Sri Lanka enters the final four. Similar to India, they have not lost in this competition and have won convincingly over the past seven months thanks to the efforts of multiple players. It will be difficult to defeat Sri Lanka in their pursuit of an Asia Cup first, given their home advantage and current form.
In 2024, Pakistan has struggled to establish a consistent rhythm. After 11 games since January, they have only triumphed once against West Indies, Nepal, and the United Arab Emirates. They have also lost four times, often by large scores, against India, England, and the West Indies. They will, nevertheless, draw some encouragement from their 10-wicket triumph over UAE, in which their openers and spinners performed best.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan – head-to-head
Throughout the years, the two teams have played 19 close games against one another. Ten matches have been won by Pakistan, with one resulting in a draw.
Pakistan has won three of the four Twenty20 International matches at the Asia Cup, demonstrating their dominance over the other team. Sri Lanka overcame Pakistan in the previous Asia Cup semi-final in Sylhet, winning a low-scoring match by a single run.
Players to watch
In any knockout match, Chamari Athapaththu is without a doubt Sri Lanka’s most important player. But Vishmi Gunaratne, her youthful opening partner, has had a stellar year in 2024. The 18-year-old, who has amassed 415 runs at an average of 37.72 in 15 games, has looked poised in her stroke play. Sri Lanka will be counting on the pair to have another strong start since she has already scored 39 not out, 1, and 51 in the competition.
A lot can be achieved at the top for Pakistan as well, with opener Gull Feroza proving to be an essential component with Muneeba Ali. In May 2022, Feroza made her debut against Sri Lanka, although she was benched throughout the following series. This April, she returned to action against the West Indies, and at the Asia Cup, she has found her game. She just finished two half-centuries with strike rates of 162.85 and 112.72, respectively. The main task for Sri Lanka will be to silence these openers.