By Srian Obeyesekere
Carrying a record of 12 ODI wins, and 46 losses from 66 matches with 8 no results, Sri Lanka, led by Chamari Athapaththu, one of the leading explosive batters in women’s world cricket, is expected to field a strong rehashed side from the one that lost to New Zealand in their last engagement recently with uncapped spinner Malki Madara in the line-up for this April’s home Women’s Tri-Nation ODI Series which kicks starts with Sri Lanka taking on India on April 27 at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium where all the day matches will be staged.
Madara forged to the limelight following an impressive debut bowling performance in what was Sri Lanka’s solitary win in the T20I series in New Zealand in the multi-format tour.
Among several changes to the squad are uncapped Piumi Wathsala and Dewmi Vihanga.
The Tri-Series, also featuring South Africa, is a forerunner preparation to all three sides for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 in India.
Sri Lanka’s Head Coach, Rumesh Ratnayake, one of the country’s foremost heroes in the early days of the men’s cricket who is known to have starred in their maiden test win against India when he caught and bowled Kapil Dev on September 6, 1985, was upbeat when this writer bumped into him at a recent national cricket event when he said that his charges were in with quite a good chance of upsetting either of their opponents South Africa and India.
To my question, “We have a run machine, the Head Coach Ratnayake, who in his heyday sported a hair band with a slinging, fast action known to have felled West Indies batter Larry Gomes with a lethal delivery, shot back, “Not one, we have several.”
It did kindle the explosive change effect that Athapaththu has brought to the country’s women’s cricket on the international stage to muscling a once unheard of nation on the world stage to challenging the best with the mark she has made with her bat to today leading the way to some others among whom young Harshitha Madavi Samarawickrama, a discovery from the schools’ periphery in Colombo is another standout player with the bat.
The 35- year old Chamari Athapaththu boasts of a really explosive ODI record having aggregated 3738 runs from 110 appearances and like number of innings with 9 centuries to her credit with highest of unbeaten 195, and 17 half centuries. Her unbeaten 178 versus high riding Australia in the 2017 Women’s World Cup is regarded as one of the most explosively ridden great innings by a women’s batter in the format. Sri Lanka lost the match driven by Australia’s Meg Lanning’s unbeaten 152, but the Lankan skipper’s innings that threatened the defending champions from a little known quarter, won her the coveted Player of the Match award for the very mannerism of her innings which in that equation outdid Lanning’s.
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:
1st ODI: Sri Lanka vs India, Sunday, 27 April
2nd ODI: India vs South Africa, Tuesday, 29 April
3rd ODI: Sri Lanka vs South Africa, Friday, 02 May
4th ODI: Sri Lanka vs India, Sunday, 04 May
5th ODI: South Africa vs India, Wednesday, 07 May
6th ODI: Sri Lanka vs South Africa, Friday, 09 May
Final: TBD, Sunday, 11 May
