Sri Lanka’s women shock England and Athapaththu questions BBL indifference – BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE (Elanka Sports Editor)
Sri Lanka’s women have set the stage for their counterparts to follow with a shock win over England, ending a ten year drought against one of the powerhouses.
Skipper Chamari Athapaththu led the chase for a gettable target after Sri Lanka’s bowlers stifled the strong England batting line-up to 104, with a memorable performance that will be long remembered.
What has been heartening is the sudden upsurge of the team since Rumesh Ratnayake took over as head coach. They have taken the scalps of New Zealand and now England which has been for a long while, a bridge too far.
Now the World game wii be wary of the plucky Lankans who have let the others sit up and take notice. Their allround skills appear to have lifted way beyond anything before and the emphasis on one or two players a thing of the past.
Beaten comprehensively by England in the first game, the Lankans rallied to bounce back and take the game to the decider.
Athapaththu’s effort seriously threw up questions about her worth as one of the best one day exponents in the world.
The Australian BBL has snubbed her value by ignoring her offer to play, raising the ire of her Sri Lankan supporters here and around the globe.
