Chamari Athapaththu smashes hapless Malaysia to lead Sri Lanka to a comprehensive win. – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor)
Chamari Athapaththu has chosen her method of walking away from the game she loves by ensuring her memory will be indelible.
The Sri Lankan superstar and skipper smashed a hapless Malaysia attack in a merciless display of aggressive strokeplay to end up with 119 not out off only 69 balls with 7 sixers and 14 fours balls to complete a single-handed demolition of one of Asia’s minnows.
The world ranked number one batter and captain of the ICC world eleven showed her master-class in an unforgiving onslaught that steered Sri Lanka to a comfortable victory in their second foray before their last match against Thailand at the group stage before the semi finals.
Thailand found their chase suffocating as a makeshift Sri Lanka attack choked them with clever variation to bowl them out for just 40 in the 20th over to complete a mismatch. Sri Lanka were saving their best for the last it seemed.
India looms as the likely challenge for the Lankans who are riding the crest of a wave. Victory in this competition would be the Cherry on top as the negotiate the bigger challenge in Australia, who are the current benchmark.
Athapaththu’s current form will see her the target for opposition teams. But Sri Lanka have uncovered some exciting talent in Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshita Samarawickrema and a few others whose mindset has been altered to believe in themselves when challenges arise. They are now a tight knit combative outfit.
Sri Lanka are no more the easybeats they once were and there is growing respect from the top tier about what they are currently capable of.
Batting first, Sri Lanka recovered from an early setback losing prolific opener Vishmi Gunaratne cheaply. But Athapaththu and Harshita Samarawickrema 24, and with Anushka Sanjavani 31, picked up the gauntlet and steered them out of trouble and to a challenging 184 for 5 in their allotment.
Malaysia in reply never got going as Shashini Gimhani 3 for 9, Kavisha Dilhari 2 for 4 and Kawya Kavindi 2 for 7 joined the rest of Sri Lanka’s bowling attack to put them on the backfoot in the powerplay before going on to snuff out any chance of a fightback.
One more hurdle to clear and then into the real stuff against the heavyweights two who have succumbed to India and Sri Lanka.
If form has any virtue, an India – Sri Lanka final would be most fitting.
