June.24 (Mirror Sports) - Sri Lanka kept their Women's T20 World Cup semi-final hopes alive with a dominant nine-wicket victory over Ireland, powered by a sensational unbeaten century from captain Chamari Athapaththu.

After electing to bowl first, Sri Lanka made an immediate impact, reducing Ireland to 18-3. Captain Gaby Lewis fought back with a well-made 59, while Leah Paul added 20 as Ireland posted 130-5 from their allotted overs.

Chasing 131 for victory, Athapaththu produced a captain's innings, smashing an unbeaten 106 from just 61 balls. Her knock, which included 17 fours and two sixes, was the highest individual score of the tournament at the time.

Athapaththu and Imesha Dulani (20) shared a 98-run opening partnership to lay the foundation for a comfortable chase. Sri Lanka reached 134-1 with 4.3 overs to spare, boosting both their points tally and net run rate.

The victory moved Sri Lanka to four points in Group 2 and kept their semi-final hopes alive. They must now defeat Scotland in their final group match and hope other results go in their favour.

For Ireland, the defeat extended their winless record in Women's World Cup matches to 21 games. They will conclude their campaign against West Indies on Saturday.

• Women's T20 World Cup, Group 2, Bristol

Ireland 130-5 (20 overs): Lewis 59, Tector 28*; de Silva 1-12

Sri Lanka 134-1 (15.3 overs): Athapaththu 106*, Dulani 20; Prendergast 1-22

•           Sri Lanka won by nine wickets          

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