Chamari Athapaththu’s team hope to replicate Asia Cup form – Sri Lanka preview

Chamari Athapaththu (c), Oshadi Ranasinghe, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nilakshi de Silva, Kavisha Dilhari, Anushka Sanjeewani, Kaushini Nuthyangana, Malsha Shehani, Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, Achini Kulasuriya, Vishmi Gunaratne, Tharika Sewwandi, Ama Kanchana, Sathya Sandeepani

Sri Lanka have failed to clear Round 1 in each of the seven editions of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, having won eight of the 28 matches played. Their best run came in 2016, where they defeated Ireland and South Africa to finish third in Group A behind New Zealand and eventual runners-up Australia. They registered a win each in the respective opening rounds of the other six editions.

(Most recent first) L, W, L, W, W, W, W, L, L, L

v South Africa, Newlands, Cape Town, February 10

v Bangladesh, Newlands, Cape Town, February 12

v Australia, St George's Park, Gqeberha, February 16

v New Zealand, Boland Park, Paarl, February 19

Sri Lanka are placed in Group A alongside five-time winners and defending champions Australia, New Zealand, hosts South Africa and Bangladesh. In a group that potentially promises a three-way tussle featuring Australia, South Africa and New Zealand for the top-two finish - and with it, the semi-final spots - Sri Lanka could well prove the surprise packet.

Their major encounter would be the tournament opener against the hosts, who won the recent home tri-series featuring India and the West Indies. A win first up for Sri Lanka would further tighten up the seemingly tough group.

Sri Lanka have defeated South Africa thrice in 13 head-to-head T20Is to date, the most recent of those wins coming during the opening round of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2016 in Bengaluru.

**Chamari Athapaththu:**Arguably the most dynamic of Sri Lanka's women cricketers, Chamari Athapaththu holds the key to her team’s success, as has been the case for a major part of the last decade. With 2,181 T20I runs at 21.38 with five fifties and a hundred, she comfortably leads the run-scoring charts among Sri Lanka women and is the most capped player from the country with 106 caps.

She is also effective with her right-arm off-breaks, which has fetched her 32 T20I wickets till date at an impressive economy of 6.89. In the last edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia three years ago, Athapaththu led Sri Lanka’s batting with scores of 41, 50, 33 and 30 at a combined strike-rate of 135.08. There will be an added responsibility on the skipper with experienced batter Hasini Perera sidelined with injury.

Sri Lanka, ranked eighth in the MRF Tyres ICC Women’s Team Rankings, have been deprived of international match practice since their runners-up finish at the Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2022 in Bangladesh in October. It was a campaign best highlighted by their thrilling one-run win over Pakistan in the semi-finals, with Harshitha Madavi finishing the second-highest run-scorer (202 runs at 25.25) and the experienced left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera starring with the ball with 13 wickets at 9.31.

Given the overall squad and history, Sri Lanka are most likely primed for a fourth finish in Group A, only ahead of fourth-time participants Ireland whom they have defeated in each of the three head-to-head completed T20Is to date. The extended gap, Perera’s absence and the vagaries of the fast-paced South African pitches, which is in stark contrast to the slow home wickets further stiffens their challenge.