Explosive batter Chamari Athapaththu Muscles Sri Lanka’s Challenge in home ODI Women’s Tri Series

A Cricket dream that took off just over two decades ago in 1997 when Sri Lanka women’s cricket forayed into its maiden ICC Limited Overs International, will by and large culminate in an own backyard ground testing of strength in this April’s 6-match ICC Tri Series when a potentially strong eleven led by explosive batter, Chamari Athapaththu face off against heavyweights India and South Africa with the Lankans taking on India in the lung opener at the R. Premadasa International Stadium.

The tournament, billed as a preparatory test of strengths of the three teams for this year’s ICC Women’s World Cup, will be hugely significant for Sri Lanka. The wheel will spin for a nation, a good 28 years in the fray that has traversed a cricketing trail from naught for a backward nation that took to the game in contrast to the country’s men’s cricket hit by a dearth of the fairer sex in the game by a talent fine combing facelift some years ago to challenging the best in the world.

That such breaking ground from virtual nothingness of a once defeatist team that has come to wearing many winning caps in a trail blazed by the dynamism of an immensely powerful stroke maker of the ball in the burly Chamari Athapaththu has arrived at such a potential zenith is in that perspective huge for Sri Lanka as to its future progress in the 50-over format that is by and large considered the grinding curve of the short format, but longer than the shortest T20 format, for the game’s endurance test of going the maximum distance of 50 overs.

In that run up, to Athapaththu and her charges this tri series is a type of make or break challenge to sealing a long journey in the format to facing off and coming good against two of the best in world cricket.

Winning will be an insulating factor of Sri Lanka’s women’s cricket in that long, long walk in the tough lane with a 12-win ODI record and 46 losses from 66 outings with 8 no results with the onus on the seasoned opening slot campaigner to lead from the front as she is characteristically reputed for.
Certainly Athapaththu, with an ODI pedigree of 9 ODI tons and 17 half tons aggregating over 3,000 runs with a best innings of unbeaten 195 further upped by a memorable unbeaten 178 versus Australia in the 2017 World Cup to boot, will shoulder the Lankan offensive.

The Lankan camp has made a shakeup with some new faces lined up following the recent defeat to New Zealand with the uncapped spinner Malki Madara strongly tipped to make the eleven following a match winning performance with the ball in Sri Lanka’s solitary win against New Zealand. Also in the running for call ups are uncapped Piumi Wathsala and Dewmi Vihanga.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Head Coach, Rumesh Ratnayake, one of the men’s team fast bowling greats during his time when he bowled Sri Lanka to a historic maiden test victory over India in 1985, was optimistic Sri Lanka Women were well equipped with some durable performers with bat and ball to upset India and South Africa.

Sri Lanka squad: Chamari Athapaththu (c), Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Hasini Perera, Piumi Wathsala, Manudi Nanayakkara, Dewmi Vihanga, Inoka Ranaweera, Inoshi Fernando, Hansima Karunaratne, Rashmika Sewwandi, Malki Madara, Sugandika Kumari, Achini Kulsuriya

Tri-nation series schedule