Women’s Asia Cup: Mithali, Hasini Return As Sri Lanka Elect To Bowl Against Pakistan

By Pramit Meher

**Women's Asia Cup SF2: SL Pick To Bowl Vs Pakistan As Mithali, Hasini Return** Dubai, Fri — Sri Lanka Women won the toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and chose to field against Pakistan Women in the second semifinal of the 2026 Women's Asia Cup. The return of Mithali Ayodhya and Hasini Perera in the Playing XI is a nice boost for the Lankans, who've gone unbeaten so far and enter as tournament favourites after beating Pakistan in both the ODI and T20I leg of their recent bilateral. **Captain's Call** SL bat-captain Chamari Athapaththu backed her bowling unit on a surface that's helping the bowlers a touch: *"The powerplay is very important for both teams... we know their skills, we've made our plans. On the day, whichever team plays well will win. We need to play our best cricket today."* She was honest about the previous game's struggles but kept the message clear—execute the plan, handle the pressure. **Pakistan's Approach** Pakistan captain Fatima Sana is leaning on her side's recent batting experience and a simple game plan: keep it calm, rotate the strike hard between overs 5–7, and target 130+. *"I think 130+ would be a good total here, so we'll try to get there. Going with the same team."* **My Take** From a sports medicine standpoint, this is a genuine flip-over game—tight conditions, bowler-friendly pitch, low-scoring. The team that manages nerves and executes the powerplay will likely take it. Keep an eye on workload for SL's pace battery given the pressure of a semifinal. Let's see who rises to the occasion. 🏏 *Source: IANS* Source: Cricketnmore