Chamari Athapaththu becomes first-ever centurion in Women’s Asia Cup

On July 22 (Monday), Sri Lanka’s skipper Chamari Athapaththu continued to scale new heights with a stunning 69-ball 119* against Malaysia in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024. Her knock of 119 is now her highest individual score in the shortest format, besting her 113 against Australia in North Sydney back in 2019

It wasn’t just that, but she also etched history, becoming the first-ever centurion in the Women’s Asia Cup, going past Mithali Raj’s 69-ball 97* against Malaysia. Her 21 boundaries were also the most boundaries any batter had scored in a single innings in the tournament’s history. 

It was also her third century in the shortest format, the joint-highest in women’s cricket alongside the United Arab Emirates Esha Oza and Tanzania’s Fatuma Kibasu. Not to forget, Athapaththu also has the highest ODI score for a Sri Lankan women’s cricketer, an unbeaten 195 against South Africa earlier in the year. 

Athapathuthu is only behind Zimbabwean cricketer Kelis Ndhlovu (572 runs) for the most runs in the calendar year, with 502 runs, with an average of 41.83 and a strike rate of 133.2, with two centuries. Her stellar efforts took Sri Lanka to 184 at the end of their innings, the second-highest total in Women’s Asia Cup history, only days after India made the first 200 of the competition. 

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