All hail the girls!!!
The last two years, though, have seen a quiet but certain revolution.
What was essentially a modest Sri Lankan women’s cricket team has turned into a formidable force, culminating in that historic Asia Cup title win—a milestone that speaks volumes about their journey and growth.
The ultimate result -- winners of Women's Asia Cup 2024
The women’s game in Sri Lanka began in the 1990s, marked with struggles and modest achievements. Often labelled ‘mediocre’, the team struggled to compete against teams like Australia, England, and India, who had earlier been dominating the women’s game. With very little resources and media coverage added to a poor public interest, the team played more for passion rather than recognition.
These were the years when there were limited training facilities and little or no exposure to coaching and support systems necessary in developing talent at professional levels.
Despite all these challenges, the team started finding an identity for itself, driven by the passion for the game and the desire to represent their country internationally.
Unlike the men’s team, the women’s team had little competitive activity at domestic or international level. There were no regular fixtures internationally, and therefore this offered minimal exposure and experience in addition to hampering skill development. This deterred none of the players as they worked hard, affording themselves with the opportunity at hand.
This turning point in women’s cricket came for Sri Lanka during the 2010s when the team pulled off a shocking victory against England during the 2013 Women’s World Cup. It was the turn-around victory that inflamed power inside the team and the cricket fans of Sri Lanka. The players began to believe they could compete with the best in the world. Under coach Harsha de Silva, with the emergence of talented players in the likes of Chamari Athapaththu, Shashikala Siriwardene, and Inoka Ranaweera, the team did show some promise during the periods 2010-2013 and 2018-2020.
Athapaththu, in particular, became a beacon of hope. Her explosive batting has put Sri Lanka on the cricketing map. Her undefeated 178 against Australia at the 2017 Women’s World Cup features as one of the most memorable innings in the history of the women’s game. Of course, it was a personal triumph to her but a massive victory for the team despite the fact that Sri Lanka ended as the losing side.
With the players improving, SLC started investing in the development of the women’s game, knowing its propensity to inspire a nation. It was a scenario about to change with better training facilities and exposure to international cricket, increased media coverage.
The girls have managed to attract fans in numbers to venues
Coaches played their part in shaping its future. Head coach Harsha de Silva brought new energy and professionalism that harped on fitness, mental strength, and the need to play as a team, with individual performances coming to the fore at different times, supported by players of the calibre of Oshadi Ranasinghe, Udeshika Prabodhani, and Chamari Athapaththu.
The SLC has also been working towards grooming young talent and creating a pool of players for the future. For that, they assigned the role of women’s cricket convener to Apsari Tillakaratne, who began to tour the country, conducting training camps with specialised coaching and organising more domestic competitions so that players got regular match practice. These efforts began to bear fruit with a new generation of players coming through the ranks, including Kavisha Dilhari, Harshitha Samarawickrama, and Vishmi Gunaratne, exposing them in readiness for international challenges.
These not only enhanced their performance but also helped prevent injuries and ensured that they were hale and healthy. The team now gets better training grounds, fitness facilities, and medical support, even though their contract and match fees remain low compared to their male counterparts.
Things started falling into place with the appointment of Rumesh Ratnayake as head coach in 2021 after Hashan Tillakaratne, having seen the team through a challenging passage, decided to resign.
Of course, with a supportive environment set forth for them, the women were allowed freedom to try things out in the middle. Having this leeway helped them learn from their mistakes, which slowly changed their attitude towards the game; they gradually started performing consistently, both as individuals and as a unit.
“In this environment, you don’t laugh at mistakes,” Ratnayake told the Sunday Times, soon after registering their first-ever T20 series triumph over England 2-1 in England.
“It is about challenging and positive environment. Nobody can set a field from the dressing room, and I want my players to try out something new. We saw results against Bangladesh and New Zealand. We see it now; it won’t end here.”
Under Athapaththu’s leadership, the batting lineup showed new-found aggression and confidence. Sensational was the form Athapaththu showed. The 32-year-old leads from the front and now has 1,145 runs in 33 T20I innings, with two centuries and seven fifties at a strike rate of 132.83 and an average of 39.48. Confidence can be seen emerging in other players around her.
Her 61 off 43 set up the chase against India, after which Samarawickrama fended off two dropped catches and Dilhari made amends with a match-winning 30 off 16 balls. It clinched Sri Lanka’s first Women’s Asia Cup title.
Thus, victory marked their coming of age into the big force in the region and showcased the possibilities of competing at the highest level. The whole nation has been celebrating the victory, which is prompting several young girls to take up the game. Enthused by the success of the team, SLC has promised to continue its support for the women’s game and announced a cash award of USD 500,000. Now it is coming that sponsors are lining up to promote their brands through them; this showcases the good times awaiting the team.
The victory will also put pressure on the SLC to pursue the expansion of the domestic structure, increasing international fixtures, and allocating more resources for player development with better pay.
The outlook of women’s cricket has definitely brightened, with a solid foundation now laid for the team. Players are more confident and experienced; they have proved they are capable of matching up against top teams. It’s now for the SLC to act wisely and “cash in” on the opportunity.