Sri Lanka survive last-over drama to beat Scotland

Sri Lanka kept their slim hopes of reaching the Women's T20 World Cup semi-finals alive with a dramatic last-over victory over Scotland at Old Trafford. Chasing Scotland’s 151 for 6, Sri Lanka reached the target of 152 on the penultimate ball to win by three wickets.

Scotland looked dangerous thanks to an unbeaten 47 off 33 balls from Sarah Bryce, who came in after captain Kathryn Bryce was dismissed when the score was 66 for 2 in the 10th over. Scotland’s total left the game in the balance, with Chamari Athapaththu earlier providing a quickfire 16-ball 33 for Sri Lanka before her dismissal.

The finish was tense. Scotland’s medium-pacer Rachel Slater began the final over by conceding singles off the first three deliveries, then pulled up with a suspected knee injury and left the field in tears. Priyanaz Chatterji finished the over for Scotland; after a single, tail-ender Sugandika Kumari struck the winning boundary to end the contest.

The win moves Sri Lanka into third place in Group 2 with three victories, but their path to the semi-finals remains narrow. They will need New Zealand to lose to England and require the West Indies to lose heavily to Ireland on Saturday in order to leapfrog on net run rate. The West Indies can secure the second semi-final spot from the group with a win over winless Ireland.

Scotland, competing in their second T20 World Cup, had been aiming for fourth place and a direct qualification spot for the 2028 T20 World Cup in Pakistan, but fell short despite Bryce’s late innings.

The result provided a tense finish at Old Trafford and keeps Sri Lanka’s tournament hopes alive heading into the final round of group matches. Fans can follow the remaining group fixtures and the knockout stages via live broadcasts and streaming options to check the latest standings and qualification permutations.