NEWS
Follow UsChamari Athapaththu has been having a great year in international cricket. While Sri Lanka women won the historic first-ever ODI series against New Zealand in July, Athapaththu has scored 415 runs in eight innings in the format this year at an average of 69.16 and a strike rate of 125.37.
Sri Lankan women also defeated England in a T20I series in September, and their skipper Athapaththu was again the mainstay of the Lankan side with 114 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 165.21.Â
Despite having a cracking year in international cricket, Chamari Athapaththu was overlooked in the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and The Hundred’s draft. She expressed her disappointment on her Facebook profile with a post as well.Â
However, things changed soon in the WBBL for her, as she was included in the tournament at the last minute as a replacement overseas player. Since then, she has finished second on the runs table this season with 511 runs at an average of 42.58 and striking at 129.69. Along with that, she also picked nine wickets for her side, Sydney Thunder, in the league.Â
Cricket is better with you, Chamari 🇱🇰 🫶@ThunderBBL #WBBL09 pic.twitter.com/feqGZKWVEV
— Weber Women's Big Bash League (@WBBL) November 27, 2023
This ninth WBBL season was extremely crucial for Chamari Athapaththu as the Sri Lankan doesn’t have a great record in the league, averaging just 18 in 34 WBBL innings. However, she not only performed well but also took her team to the top four in the league and won the applause of many, along with the Player of the Tournament and getting a bay named after her in the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The standing umpires in each match voted for their Player of the Tournament, and Athapaththu won a tight competition over Adelaide Striker’s opening batter, Katie Mack.Â
With the WPL auction scheduled for December 9, Chamari Athapaththu has now created enough buzz to attract potential buyers. If she managed to get a bid, she would be the first Sri Lanka player to play in the WPL.Â
