COLOMBO (29) — Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu is setting her sights on the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup following her team’s historic victory in the Women’s Asia Cup. Under Athapaththu’s leadership, Sri Lanka secured their first-ever Women’s Asia Cup title on Sunday, overcoming India’s score of 165/6 with eight balls to spare.
Athapaththu played a pivotal role in the final, scoring a crucial half-century, and was subsequently named Player of the Tournament. Her performance capped a remarkable 14-month period for Sri Lanka, which also saw them claim T20I series victories over Bangladesh, England, and South Africa, and win the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier to earn a spot in the October tournament.
“We sacrificed a lot over the past 10-15 years. Finally, we won this award, this trophy,” Athapaththu said. “We’ve played really good cricket over the last 12 months. We beat England, South Africa, West Indies, and New Zealand. We won the World Cup qualifiers, and now we’ve won the Asia Cup.”
Athapaththu’s leadership has been instrumental, but she also acknowledged the contributions of her teammates. Harshitha Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, and Udeshika Prabodhani were standout performers throughout the tournament. Samarawickrama scored a crucial half-century in the final, while Dilhari and Prabodhani finished among the top 10 wicket-takers.
With her career nearing its end, Athapaththu is eager to continue her contributions to the team. The 34-year-old veteran hopes to compete in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in India next year and has hinted at playing through to the 50-over World Cup.
“Hopefully, I’ll still play until the next 50-over World Cup,” she added.
