Athapaththu marks out young prospects for Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup campaign
Sri Lanka skipper Chamari Athapaththu believed Kavisha Dilhari and Vishmi Gunarathne could be the game-changers for Sri Lanka in their ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in Bangladesh.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu identified young stars Kavisha Dilhari and Vishmi Gunaratne as potential game-changers for the Island Nation in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 after the team sealed its spot in the main event with a close win over UAE in the semi-final.
Chamari Athapaththu backs youngsters to shine in Women's T20 World Cup
Sri Lanka won all their group games, before the closely-fought semi-final against the UAE. A highlight of Sri Lanka's journey was the performance of their up-and-coming players.
Sri Lanka booked their place at the Women's #T20WorldCup with a hard-fought victory over UAE đź’Şhttps://t.co/JFf4U1HzYQ
— ICC (@ICC) May 6, 2024
Despite Chamari Athapaththu not making big runs, Sri Lanka raced to the final unbeaten. Among Sri Lanka's young talents on show were Kavisha and Dilhari, for whom the captain reserved special praise.
Sri Lanka v UAE | Semi-final 2 | Match Highlights | Women’s T20WC Qualifier 2024
Athapaththu believes that the two will be key players for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup later this year in Bangladesh.
“I think I have two players [in mind for the T20 World Cup] - Vishmi Gunaratne and Kavisha Dilhari. I think Kavisha is a good all-rounder for Sri Lanka and a young cricketer. And U19 captain Vishmi Gunaratne has batted really good.
“So I think these two players will be game-changers for our team.”
Dynamic all-rounder Dilhari starred in their group encounter against eventual finalists Scotland, picking a career-best 4/13 and three catches to bowl out the European side for merely 94. Already a capable batter in the middle-order, she has had a good T20I career with the ball for Sri Lanka in important games, with 38 T20I wickets at an average of 23.1. In the Qualifier, she has seven wickets at an average under 10.
Gunaratne, Sri Lanka's skipper in the 2023 ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup, was another standout star. Till the semi-final stage, she was their leading run-scorer with 180 runs. During the group stages, she scored a career-best 73* from 64 balls against Uganda.
Sri Lanka v Uganda| Match Highlights | Women’s T20WC Qualifier 2024
The exceptional Athapaththu has often been the lone ranger for Sri Lanka, and the rise of these new stars bodes well for the side.
Athapaththu took confidence from Sri Lanka's spectacular run, and her eyes set on a maiden semi-final spot in the T20 World Cup.
“I want to see my team in semi-finals but we take it one game at a time,” the captain said, adding that the emphasis was on giving their best on the field. “So every game is very crucial for us. So we have to play our best cricket and keep it simple.”