Sri Lanka team for the women’s T20 Asia Cup
- “Head coach has made an impact with the team since his arrival”
Chamari Athapaththu, captain of the Sri Lanka women’s team, said she expects a strong showing as they begin defence of the Asia Cup in Dubai on 28 August.
Sri Lanka won the previous Asia Cup, held in Sri Lanka in 2024, beating India in the final by eight wickets.
“When you go as the defending champions the focus is a lot on you and there are a lot of expectations from the supporters, so every game is important, especially the one against UAE who are playing at their home venue. It is our first game and a very important one at that,” Athapaththu said before the team’s departure to Dubai on Monday evening.
“We are going to this tournament after performing reasonably well at the T20 World Cup, although we did not reach the knockouts. We also recorded series wins against Pakistan, 2-1 in WT20Is and 2-1 in WODIs. Apart from being mentally in good shape, the players are in form. We have corrected many of our mistakes and I believe we can give a good account of ourselves.”
“Ahead of a T20 tournament, preparing after a 50-over series is not ideal. Our preparations are not perfect. We want to focus on the areas we can control. We have a few warm-up matches in Dubai and will use them to fine tune. In T20 cricket any team can win on a given day, so no opponent will be taken lightly.”
“Our batting has been consistent in recent T20s and I expect the batters to score. In bowling we have some new faces, including Chamudi Praboda, who captained the U19s. Dewmi Vihanga, an uncapped off-spinner, suffered an injury and will be replaced by left-arm spinner Nimasha Meepage,” she added.
Since Jamie Siddons became head coach, Athapaththu said the team has shown progress. “This will be our third series with him. His coaching has helped us improve, though there are still areas to work on,” she said.
“I can say Sri Lanka women’s cricket is in a good place at the moment, with several youngsters coming through. Mithali Ayodya bowled well through the T20 World Cup but missed the Pakistan series after dengue. Chamudi Praboda and Sanjana Kavindi performed well against Pakistan; they are among the bowlers we see for the future. A mix of experience and youth makes this squad balanced and capable,” Athapaththu said. (Lakbima News)
Sri Lanka squad
Chamari Athapaththu (Captain), Imesha Dulani, Sanjana Kavindi, Vishmi Gunarathne, Harshitha Samarawickrama (Vice-Captain), Kaveesha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Hasini Perera, Kaushini Nuthyangana (wk), Nimasha Meepage, Sugandika Dassanayaka, Chamudi Praboda, Chethana Vimukthi, Kawya Kavindi, Mithali Ayodya
Sri Lanka Asia Cup fixtures
29 Aug: v UAE
2 Sep: v Indonesia
6 Sep: v Bangladesh
10 Sep: 1st semi-final
11 Sep: 2nd semi-final
13 Sep: Final
