August 12, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s inspirational captain, Chamari Athapaththu, has claimed the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for July 2024, outshining India’s Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma.
Athapaththu’s stellar performance led Sri Lanka to their first-ever Women’s Asia Cup title, defeating seven-time champions India.
This marks her third such accolade, tying her with West Indies’ Hayley Matthews, behind only Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner.
Reflecting on her achievement, Athapaththu expressed gratitude for the recognition and highlighted its significance as an inspiration for aspiring female cricketers.
Under her leadership, Sri Lanka has achieved historic milestones, including their inaugural T20I series victories over England and South Africa.
July 2024 was particularly remarkable for Athapaththu, who played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka’s unbeaten run in the Women’s Asia Cup.
Despite a slow start against Bangladesh, she delivered a career-best 119* against Malaysia and followed it up with crucial fifties against Pakistan and India in the knockout stages.
Her all-round contributions, including three key wickets, further solidified her impact in Sri Lanka’s historic triumph.
