Sri Lanka keep alive Women's T20 World Cup semifinals hopes after beating Scotland

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MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Sri Lanka kept alive slim hopes of making the Women's Twenty20 World Cup semifinals for the first time after a dramatic last-over win over Scotland at Old Trafford on Friday.

Sri Lanka chased down the 152 target on the penultimate ball and won by three wickets.

Scotland medium-pacer Rachel Slater bowled the last over, trying to prevent Sri Lanka from scoring seven runs. She conceded singles off the first three deliveries then pulled up and collapsed to the ground with a suspected knee injury. Slater eventually left the field in tears, Priyanaz Chatterji stepped up, conceded a single but then the winning boundary to tailender Sugandika Kumari.

Sri Lanka needed its best-ever third win in one World Cup to be by a bigger margin, inside 10.3 overs, but going the distance barely improved its net run rate and the West Indies can clinch the second and last semifinal spot in their group by cruising against winless Ireland on Saturday.

Scotland, at its second T20 World Cup, has finished fifth in the group but sought fourth place and a direct spot into the 2028 T20 World Cup in Pakistan.

But only Sarah Bryce, in after her sister and captain Kathryn fell at 66-2 in the 10th over, made the Sri Lankans sweat with an unbeaten 33-ball 47 and a last-ball boundary for a 151-6 total.

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, appearing in her 10th T20 World Cup, exploded with a 16-ball 33 but after her exit at 57-2 in the sixth over her teammates slowed and crawled over the finish line at 154-7.

On Saturday, there's also Netherlands vs. Pakistan, and semifinal-bound England vs. defending champion New Zealand.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket