Fearless and positive cricket essential for success in the T20 World Cup: Atapattu

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Atapattu is one cricketer who has an enviable record against Australia. The hard-hitting left-hander scored her maiden T20I ton against Australia in their own backyard last September. Her knock of 113 came came just off 66 balls and her average (42.20) against Australia, is best for her against any team.

“I just play my natural game, I always took myself as a positive cricketer, playing freely – and that’s all," Atapattu said, speaking at the captains’ media day at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. “We played against Australia last summer, we learned a lot about them and what makes them the best team in the world."

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Atapattu is just one of the 14 players to take part in all the editions of T20 World Cup. The veteran is fully aware of what it takes to beat top teams along the way. “Our preparation against Australia has made us confident, so we are looking forward to taking that forward into the World Cup,” she added.

“In the last editions of the tournament, we’ve not made the semifinals so that is what we’re looking to change this time. We know that there are some strong teams in this competition but we just want to take things one game at a time.”