Inspiring a generation of women’s cricketers
SLC President Shammi Silva and Chilaw Marians President Godfrey Dabrera presented memento to Chamari Athapaththu - Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
For a veteran of 101 WODIs and 131 WT20Is, the reputation Chamari Athapaththu earned during her 15-year tenure with Sri Lanka cricket is immense and exceptional. Athapaththu can be easily rated as the most successful women’s cricketer Sri Lanka ever produced since the team’s international debut in 1997.
Ever since making her debut for Sri Lanka on June 15 of 2009, Athapaththu has transformed herself into an iconic figure, equaling her status to those who reach the helm in the men’s version. Despite having numerous feats under her belt, including several records, Athapaththu was seen overwhelmed at a function held last Tuesday at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo, where her domestic side, Chilaw Marians Cricket Club, felicitated the dashing southpaw for her contributions in revolutionising women’s cricket in Sri Lanka.
“I’m proud and honoured to sit alongside two of my cricketing heroes at a function like this. This is clearly the outcome of my commitment, along with those who supported me all the way,” Athapaththu told reporters during a brief talk show hosted by senior sports journalist Ranjan Paranavithana, where cricketing legends Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya was sharing the same podium.
Apparently, (Aravinda) de Silva and (Sanath) Jayasuriya have been two of Athapaththu’s role models from the very first day she developed an unconditional bond with the game of cricket. She was barely six-years-old when her uncle carried the tot from her parent’s house nearby in a rural village near Kurunegala, to witness the 1996 ICC World Cup triumph on television.
“I remember watching the entire Australian innings, but I had fallen asleep when my father came to take me back home.
I was woken up, but I was adamant to watch the entire remainder of the world cup final. My father and uncle were really caring and we all watched the game together,” she recalled.
“I still remember the camera being focused on Sanath aiya, whenever he hit a four or a six, and the amount of sweat that dripped off his helmet. The epic knock of Aravinda aiya in the final still echoes in my mind, and the winning runs made by Arjuna sir, turned me in with a new hope, that was to someday emulate them and represent Sri Lanka. I didn’t know that there was a women’s team then, but when I got to know some time later, I started to work on my dream,” Athapaththu, the present ICC top ranked batter in Women’s ODI, stated.
Growing up to become an international icon in women’s cricket, Athapaththu attended Gokaralla Central College and Ibbagamuwa Central College honing her cricketing skills before hitting the big stage. She then joined Colombo Colts CC, Kurunegala Youth CC and Sri Lanka Air Force, before settling down at Chilaw Marians in 2018, from where she skyrocketed to become an important part of franchise cricket around the globe.
But what paved her to become this successful was following her role models, with whom she had the honour of sharing the stage on an evening dedicated to her. Athapaththu humbly revealed that her goal was to become the female version of Sanath Jayasuriya, an objective already attained.
“She has been working closely with me to enhance her playing style, and what I saw in her is her sheer commitment. She trained hard and for longer hours, and all what she has achieved is the result of these aspects. Now she has become a role model to many others in the following,” former
Sri Lanka skipper Jayasuriya proudly boasted about his version of a female master blaster.
Leading the Sri Lanka women’s side from time to time, before cementing her position as skipper almost five years ago, Athapaththu currently holds the record of becoming the first Sri Lankan woman cricketer to cross 1000 runs in WT20Is and also is the leading run scorer in both WODIs and WT20Is. Under her captaincy,
Sri Lanka enjoyed series wins against New Zealand in WODIs and against England in WT20Is. In the recent tour to South Africa,
Sri Lanka recorded a WT20I series win after drawing the WODI series, where she created a few records.
Athapaththu struck an unbeaten 195 against South Africa in Potchefstroom, which came off 139 deliveries with 26 boundaries and five sixes. This is the highest individual score recorded by a
Sri Lankan women cricketer, and interestingly it was Athapaththu who held that record right throughout, being the first to score a century for her country in 2011.
She followed with another in 2014, and her third, an unbeaten 178 against Australia in 2017, stood as the highest individual score until April 17, where she fell short off five runs from a deserving double ton. On the way she had scored a total of eight centuries, until her ninth against South Africa, as
Sri Lanka became the first women’s team to chase down a target of over 300, a record the men’s team interestingly achieved in 1992.
Until Pathum Nissanka broke Sanath Jayasuriya’s record of 189, for the highest individual score with an unbeaten 210, Athapaththu’s role models Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva swapped the record between them from time to time until the former claimed it for good in 2000. It was broken by Nissanka after 24 years, In terms of a combined record maintained, Athapaththu’s epic 195 not out, would have been the second best of all time from batters of both genders, and she would have crossed Nissanka’s score easily, had not Sri Lanka women reached the winning target with 33 deliveries remaining.
Her score against South Africa now stands as the highest while chasing in WODIs, bettering Australian Meg Lanning’s 152 not out against Sri Lanka in 2017. Her unbeaten 195 is the third-highest individual score in WODIs, which reaped the No.1 spot in ICC ODI rankings second time in her career achieving her highest-ever rating of 773.
Coming all the way from Kurunegala, and winning the trust of many a Sri Lankan cricket lover, Athapaththu had gone all the way to become a global icon, with Sydney, one of the nine franchise teams she represented, honouring her with a special dedicated seating zone at the SCG, named as the Chamari Bay.
These are few of many highlights of an eventful career, entertaining to many, revolutionary to some, and inspiring to those youngsters who are eager to become another ‘Chamari’. At 34, her career is yet far from over, with a tally of 3513 runs and 29 scalps in WODIs, inclusive of nine tons and 16 half centuries. Her WT20I is somewhat impressive too, with 2957 runs and 48 wickets, inclusive of two hundreds and 10 fifties.
At the event on Tuesday, both Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya pleaded the most aggressive women’s batter to stay on for some time with the women’s team. Both de Silva and Jayasuriya, reputed to their contributions to Sri Lanka cricket both on and off the field, highlighted what the Sri Lanka women cricket could achieve in time to come with Athapaththu around.
“She has shaped women’s cricket in Sri Lanka to what it is today. There are many youngsters trying to follow her, and with her in the side, building up the next generation would be very easy. We witness the difference, and there’s more to achieve,” stated both de Silva and Jayasuriya.