Athapaththu demands more from Sri Lanka after victory over Bangladesh
Media release
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu insisted her side must improve if they are to qualify for the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025, despite victory over Bangladesh.
A brilliant final over with the ball from Athapaththu saw Bangladesh lose four wickets in four balls to hand Sri Lanka a seven-run victory in Navi Mumbai, keeping their hopes of progression alive.
However, Athapaththu warned there must be lessons learned, especially with the bat, if Sri Lanka are to upset the odds and reach the last four.
They looked well set to post a total well above 200 after Hasini Perera’s excellent 85 but collapsed late on to set Bangladesh 203 to win.
It was ultimately just enough for Sri Lanka’s first victory of the tournament, but Athapaththu is demanding improvements ahead of their next match against Pakistan.
“We dropped a few catches and we made many mistakes as a batting unit, it was not our best game but we were lucky enough to win,” she said.
“Hasini and myself built a good partnership. We lost a couple of wickets back-to-back. We have to learn from Bangladesh how they batted in the middle overs, as a batting unit we made so many mistakes. We have to improve those areas before the next game.
“If we want to improve women’s cricket in Sri Lanka, we have to play our positive cricket and smart cricket all the time in the middle – that’s the most important thing.
“We have to execute the right plan at the right time. We have one more game left, we will try our best to win and if we make the semi-finals, it’s a miracle!”
For Bangladesh, defeat confirmed their elimination at the group stage despite looking well-placed for victory throughout their run chase.
Sharmin Akhter and captain Nigar Sultana Joty put together a steady partnership to inch their side closer and closer to their total, until Akhter retired hurt with Bangladesh 77 runs from their target.
That proved a turning point, as the following batters struggled to get set at the crease alongside Nigar, who put together an excellent 77 to keep Bangladesh in with a chance at the death.
However, her opposite number Athapaththu had the final decisive say with four wickets in the final over spelling an end to Bangladesh’s hopes and Nigar was left to rue another narrow defeat.
“We have been playing three games like this, it is very heartbreaking,” she said.
“Somehow we lose control in our planning. We kept losing our wicket and we couldn’t hold our nerve.”
Bangladesh’s fielding came under pressure, with Perera dropped three times on her way to a top score of 85 and Nigar admitted it is an area they must improve in moving forward
“In this tournament, you have to grab those opportunities,” she added.
“When we lost those catches, it was a very crucial moment and it shifted the momentum.
“We have a very good fielding side but somehow we drop catches at the crucial moment. I think it is a mental thing.
“I want to be a great fielder and I don’t want to lose any catches. We need to work on that.”
ENDS