CHAMARI ATHAPATTU | Daily News

CHAMARI ATHAPATTU

Chamari Athapattu of Sri Lanka poses with the player of the match award after scoring 178 during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 match between Sri Lanka and Australia on June 29, 2017 in Bristol, England.
Chamari Athapattu of Sri Lanka poses with the player of the match award after scoring 178 during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 match between Sri Lanka and Australia on June 29, 2017 in Bristol, England.

There is no doubt that women’s cricket in Sri Lanka a decade or so ago was riding high at least in Asia. However, the scenario is somewhat different now. They are at a fairly low ebb . There is no doubt that we have quality players and Chamari Athapattu is certainly one of them.

I managed to interview Chamari through the good offices of Hemantha Devapriya who is the coach of Sri Lanka women’s cricket.I found Charmari as a bundle of energy eagerly waiting for me to interview her at the Mercantile Cricket Association grounds.

She was born in Gokarella a small town situated between Kurunegala and Melsiripura and started playing cricket at the age of 4, it was of course not the red ball stuff but the softer version. What induced her to start so young was that her uncle was a cricket coach down at Gokerella. Her late father was a Public Health Inspector.She came to Colombo with her father as her Chaperone at the tender age of 16 and at the age of 18 she was selected to play for The Sri Lankan women’s team. Since then she has stamped her class in no uncertain manner.

Chamari’s track record is as follows, she scored 178 runs in an ODI against the Australians which stands as the 3rd highest score ever.Chamari recollects that the highest was by Belinda Clerk of Australia and the second highest was by one Sharma from India.She has been outstanding as a batswoman and scoring many centuries eg, against Ireland in 2011, South Africa in 2014 and the epic 178 against Australia at Bristol, England in a World cup encounter. Chamari has won many an award and by far is the best batswoman in our team.

Although there are a lot of speculations about Sri Lankan Women’s coaches at present. The saying goes that some of them have been ex Sri Lankan cricketers who have come and gone without stamping their class and no significant improvements to point at.

Chamari is of the opinion that Hemantha Devapriya is a coach who is matured and gives a patient hearing to the cricketers without getting ruffled and not demanding the impossible from their charges.

There is no doubt that there are a few world class players like Chamari herself, Shashikala Siriwardene, Chamari Polgampola,Dilani Manodara,Inoka Ranaweera and Sripali Weerakkody to choose from and all is not lost just yet.

It was interesting to note how Chamari will ed herself to do well against the Aussies, she said that she has failed against them in the past and back she went to the drawing board and found out how and why she got out and with her steely determination she ironed out her shortcomings one by one and the end result was her mammoth 178.The way she built up her innings was equally noteworthy, she started her innings in a sedate fashion scoring mainly singles until she was well set and then the deluge of runs gushed from her bat , she stroked 7 sixes in that innings(no pol adi) most of them in the vee through mid off and mid on once she got the eye in and seeing the ball like a red water melon she widen her scope and went over mid wicket and extra cover. It was controlled aggression at the very best.One hopes that she produces the same so that we no longer look like minnows in the World Scene.

At this point I would like mention to the readers that Manori is cricketer with loads of self-confidence which comes from confidence built on her competence, dedication, preparation and training received and of course her experience as a player/Captain.

Team work is another aspect of a successful cricket team which means that all the members of the team working together towards a common goal sacrificing their personal glory and gains. (These days’ gains take pride of place which overshadows all the rest and especially the younger players who come from outstation gets carried away and can easily be led astray and can get caught to the wiles of the waiting vultures.) The best example that comes to my mind of a team that excelled in team work was our World Cup winning team of 1996.Arjuna Ranatunga was a fantastic leader of a very good cricket team who led from the front and brooked no nonsense from even his seniors. Therefor Manori been the captain of the Sri Lankan team should follow suit and elevate herself above all the rest of her team giving due respect to her senior players at the same time. This will not be an easy task. I am sure Manori has the mettle to overcome all these.

Chamari was emphatic that the recently concluded T 20 was not a white wash by Pakistan, she stressed the fact that the first T20 was decided on the last ball of the match and the second one an emphatic win for Sri Lanka where Shasikala Siriwardene came to the fore.

As the captain of the Sri Lankan T 20 team her next goal is the Asia cup in Malaysia in June. We all hope that Chamari will bring honour to Sr Lanka in the Asia Cup.

At one time Vanessa de Silva was the live wire behind womens cricket at the SLC, but she no longer is there. As of now Apsarai Tillakaratne wife of former Sri Lankan stalwart Hashan Tillakaratne has taken over. She has worked hard to popularise cricket among the girl schools. Already many girls schools have taken to cricket.Apsari has gone still further by organising Big Matches among those schools. One can say that her efforts are laudable. 


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