Chamari Athapaththu scales new Sri Lankan record, stars in consolation win against India

Sri Lankan women’s captain Chamari Athapaththu slammed an unbeaten 80 against the visiting Indian team at Dambulla. Her knock turned out to be a match-winning one for the hosts as they defeated Harmanpreet Kaur’s ‘Women in Blue’ by seven wickets.

During the course of her innings, Athapaththu also unlocked a major landmark in Sri Lanka’s T20I history. She reached the 2,000-run mark to become the first Sri Lankan cricketer ever to do so in the truncated format of the game. Former men’s captain and batting legend Tillakaratne Dilshan is second on his country’s all-time list with 1,889 runs.

The Indian women’s team won the toss and opted to bat first. The visitors compiled 138-5 in their 20 overs, with captain Kaur top-scoring in the innings with 39*.

In response, Sri Lanka lost opening batter Vishmi Gunaratne in the first over of their innings. However, her opening partner and captain Athapaththu marched on and guided her team past the finishing line with a boundary-laden knock.

She faced just 48 balls in her innings and clubbed 14 fours and a six. The 32-year-old was adjudged as the ‘Player of the Match’ for her run-chase special.

Despite the defeat in the third T20I, Kaur and co. pocketed the three-match T20I series by a 2-1 margin. The tour will now continue with three ODIs, all set to be played at Kandy’s Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

The first of the three matches is scheduled to be played on July 1 and the series will conclude on July 7. The two teams will then travel to England for the upcoming Commonwealth Games.