Sri Lanka's One-Woman Army, Chamari Athapaththu | Sunday Stories

“Chamari batted unbelievably well. I don’t think I have seen bigger sixes than that,” said New Zealand batter Maddy Green who probably had the best view of Chamari Athapaththu's match-winning 83-ball 108. Chamari’s explosive century gave Sri Lanka a historic first-ever win against the Whiteferns in any format.

The Sri Lankan skipper was dismissed for a duck in the second game, and New Zealand pounced on the chance to level the ODI series. 

The series decider arrived, and so did Chamari. Chasing 196 (DLS Method), Sri Lanka lost two early wickets, and their chances of winning a series against New Zealand looked bleak. Then the Chamari show began. Scoring 140 runs off just 80 balls, Chamari took Sri Lanka home with 13 balls spare. The Chamari test proved to be too tough for the Whiteferns. With two centuries in three matches, there could only be one Player of the Series. Athapaththu’s Sri Lankan unit etched their names into the history books. 

The records did not stop, Chamari Athapaththu topped the ICC ODI Batting Rankings, becoming the first Sri Lankan woman and only the second Sri Lankan player after Sanath Jayasuriya to achieve this feat. 

From the Sri Lankan crisis of 2020 during the pandemic to the landmark ODI series triumph against New Zealand, Sri Lankan Skipper has led from the front every single time. This is the story of Sri Lanka’s One-Woman Army - Chamari Athapaththu.