Set to chase 141, Sri Lanka knocked the winning runs on the penultimate delivery of the innings when Anushka Sanjeewani held her nerves calm to hit Nida Dar for a single towards the long-on.
The home side had a dismal start to the pursuit as they were reduced to 19/2 in four overs.
However, their captain Athapaththu retaliated against spirited Pakistan bowlers and oversaw Sri Lanka’s run chase.
She put together crucial partnerships with Kavisha Dilhari (17) and Sanjeewani before finally perishing in the 17th over.
Athapaththu smashed 10 boundaries including a six on her way to top score for Sri Lanka with a 48-ball 63.
Her dismissal caused a stir in Sri Lanka’s chase as Pakistan bowlers forced a late comeback but wicketkeeper batter Sanjeewani showcased grit and powered the hosts into their sixth Women’s Asia Cup final.
Sanjeewani remained unbeaten with a 22-ball 24.
Sadia Iqbal was the pick among the bowlers for Pakistan with her four-fer while Nida Dar and Omaima Sohail shared two wickets between them.
Pakistan registered 140/4 on the board
Put into bat first, Pakistan registered 140/4 on the board, courtesy of a solid platform provided by openers Muneeba and Gull Feroza.
The opening pair batted sensibly on a tricky Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium surface and added 61 runs for the first wicket.
Muneeba and Feroza appeared in control until Udeshika Prabodhani forced Sri Lanka’s comeback by dismissing both the openers.
Wicketkeeper batter Muneeba Ali remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with a 34-ball 37, laced up with five fours while Feroza made a cautious 25 off 24 balls, hitting three fours in the process.
Sidra Ameen and skipper Nida Dar then put together an important 30-run partnership for the third wicket.
The duo, however, was dismissed by Kavisha Dilhari in the 15th over as Pakistan slipped to 99/4 against Sri Lanka.
Later, Aliya Riaz and Fatima Sana bolstered Pakistan’s total by scoring 40 runs in the last five overs.
Sana was the core aggressor of the unbeaten partnership, scoring 23 off 17 while Aliya made a 15-ball 16.
For Sri Lanka, Prabodhani and Dilhari bagged two wickets each.
Hosts Sri Lanka will now face defending champions India in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 final on Sunday.