It is solely truthful to permit Athapaththu some licence to set targets like these, particularly after her scintillating 195 not out in opposition to South Africa on Wednesday night. Not solely did she obtain the third-highest particular person rating in ladies’s ODIs however she additionally led Sri Lanka to the very best profitable chase within the format to underline each her personal dominance and the rising pedigree in her nationwide group.
Within the final 12 months, Sri Lanka have gained T20I sequence in opposition to Bangladesh, in England and South Africa and reached the ultimate of the Asian Video games. They’ve additionally gained ODI sequence in opposition to Bangladesh and New Zealand and took a sport off South Africa to maintain themselves within the operating for automated qualification the 2025 ODI World Cup, a should for Athapaththu after they missed out on the 2022 match. To get there, they need to do effectively in opposition to West Indies, who’re languishing in ninth place on the ten-team Ladies’s Championship desk, and Eire, who’re tenth. So Athapaththu has each motive to suppose her group can get the factors they should end within the high 5, particularly after contributions like Nilakshika Silva’s unbeaten 50 in opposition to South Africa.
Earlier than they flip their consideration to the ODI World Cup, there’s the T20 model in Bangladesh later this yr to consider. Sri Lanka’s marketing campaign to qualify for that occasion begins subsequent week within the UAE, the place they enter the qualifiers as favourites. They take the type of 9 T20I wins of their final 15 matches into it and are grouped with Thailand, Scotland, Uganda and USA, and should attain the match last to qualify for the T20 World Cup.
“I do know it’s a very massive activity for us,” Athapaththu mentioned. “Each group is basically good and each sport is basically essential for us. We are going to deal with one sport at a time.”
“My retirement may be very quickly,” she mentioned. “I can not point out dates, however very quickly. We are able to speak about this stuff later. For now, I am all the time taking care of the younger ladies. I’ve constructed a younger group. I need to see these younger ladies within the World Cup at some point. As a captain, I’m actually happy with my younger ladies and they’re taking part in actually good cricket. I sacrificed numerous issues for Sri Lankan cricket within the final 15 years. I’m completely satisfied to guide this group. I’m a very, actually proud captain. I hope my ladies play actually good cricket in future as effectively. I hope my group can play their greatest cricket on the T20 World Cup.”
All indications are that if Sri Lanka make it to the Bangladesh match, and maybe even the ODI World Cup in India subsequent yr, Athapaththu will keep on however she can also be trying on the future. Whereas she basked within the success of her innings in Potchefstroom and accepted congratulations from the greats of Sri Lankan cricket together with Mahela Jayawardene, Lasith Malinga and her “life time tremendous hero” Sanath Jayasuriya, she doesn’t need to stand within the solar alone. “I need to see one other participant in Sri Lanka move my rating very quickly,” she mentioned.
“I all the time price the 178 No. 1 as a result of that 178 modified my cricket profession,” she mentioned. “Nobody knew about me then however after I scored that 178, I obtained a chance to play in franchise cricket and I learnt numerous issues in franchise cricket. Some folks suppose franchise cricket is all about cash however I do not suppose like that. I learnt numerous issues and I shared my information. I learnt from different gamers, world-class gamers, and we shared the identical dressing room. So I price my No. 1 innings because the 178 however this innings was innings as a result of we chased 302.”
