Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu owns these prominent records in WT20Is
Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu was at her destructive best against Malaysia in the 2024 Women's T20 Asia Cup Group B clash in Dambulla. Athapaththu's 69-ball 119* paved the way for Sri Lanka. She became the first-ever centurion the Women's T20 Asia Cup. The Lankans racked up 184/4 before bowling out Malaysia for just 40. Here we look at Athapaththu's prominent records in WT20Is.
First player with this feat in Asia Cup
Athapaththu scored the first-ever century, both as a player and captain in the Women's T20 Asia Cup. She racked up 119* off 69 balls, a knock laced with 14 fours and 7 sixes. India's Mithali Raj, who scored a 69-ball 97* against Malaysia in the 2018 encounter, is the only other player to register a 90-plus score in the competition's history.
Athapaththu's third WT20I ton
While this was Athapaththu's third ton in WT20Is, no other full-member team batter has more than two tons in the format. Meanwhile, the SL star has equaled Tanzania's Fatuma Kibasu and UAE's Esha Oza in terms of most WT20I tons (3 each). Each of Athapaththu's three tons in the format have come while leading the Lankans.
Second-highest score in a losing cause
A brilliant 113 from Athapaththu went in vain as SL couldn't chase down 215 against Australia in the 2019 North Sydney WT20I. This is the second-highest individual score in the format in a losing cause. The SL star is only behind Australia's Beth Mooney, who slammed 117 against England in the 2017 Canberra game. No other batter owns a century in this regard.
Second-most runs as captain in WT20Is
2,532 of Athapaththu's WT20I runs have come while leading SL in 90 games. Only Australia's Meg Lanning (2,619) has more runs as a captain in WT20Is. England's Charlotte Edwards (2,529) is the only other skipper with over 2,500 runs. Meanwhile, India's Harmanpreet Kaur (116), Lanning (100), and Edwards (93) are the only captains with more WT20I caps than Athapaththu.
