LONDON : Sri Lanka kept alive their bid to reach the Women's T20 World Cup semi-finals with a dramatic three-wicket victory over Scotland on Friday.

Sarah Bryce's 47 from 33 balls and 34 from Darcey Carter took Scotland to 151-6 from their 20 overs at Old Trafford.

Chamari Athapaththu ignited Sri Lanka's run chase with a blistering 16-ball 33, featuring six fours and one six.

But the Sri Lanka skipper was bowled by Katherine Fraser to set the stage for a nervous finale.

Harshitha Samarawickrama (27) and Hasini Perera (23) kept Sri Lanka in contention but they were still in danger of a shock defeat at 118-6.

Nilakshi de Silva's 21 not out proved crucial for Sri Lanka, who were taken to the last over before finally sealing the victory.

With Scotland on the brink of ending Sri Lanka's hopes of a last four berth, Sugandika Dasanayaka saved the day, chopping the penultimate ball of the match to the boundary.

Sri Lanka moved into third place in Group B after their third win of the tournament.

But they still need West Indies to lose heavily to Ireland and England to beat New Zealand on Saturday if they are to advance on net run-rate.