Chamari Athapaththu named as ICC Women’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

Sri Lanka star Chamari Athapaththu has won the ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year for 2023 after a stellar 12 months.

Chamari Athapaththu was rewarded for her exceptional year with the bat in ODIs. The Sri Lanka top-order batter made significant contributions with the bat and as captain, notably leading the side to a first bilateral series win over New Zealand.

Memorable performance

Athapaththu brought her A-game in the crunch series decider against New Zealand with a stunning unbeaten 140 to take Sri Lanka to a historic victory.

Sri Lanka found themselves in a precarious situation early on at 4/2 within the first four overs while chasing a target of 196 in 29 overs. Undeterred by the challenging circumstances, Athapaththu took an aggressive approach, matching New Zealand's fire with her own. In a remarkable turnaround, Sri Lanka reached a run-a-ball rate by the 10-over mark.

With Nilakshika Silva solid at one end, Athapaththu raced to a fifty off just 31 balls. It took her only 29 more balls to reach the century, which is the fourth-fastest in Women’s ODI history and the fastest by a Sri Lankan.

The pair added 190 runs, the highest-ever for Sri Lanka in Women’s ODIs as the hosts chased down the target with eight wickets and 13 balls to spare.