Chamari Athapaththu, the Captain of the Sri Lankan Women’s Cricket team, shared her enthusiasm for playing in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) as part of the Sydney Thunder team. In an exclusive interview with the Daily News, Athapaththu said her participation in franchise cricket offers valuable exposure, while national duties remains her top priority.

Her best performance in this WBBL season, where she has scored over 450 runs with an impressive strike rate, contributing significantly to the success of Sydney Thunder team as an all-rounder.

“Next Sunday Thunder game at Sydney Stadium going to be another memorable day as the organisers have arranged a special seating zone at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) bearing my name. This unique honour will be unveiled during the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) derby clash scheduled for November 26. It is very special for me as first Sri Lankan player, man or woman, to receive such recognition,” said Chamari.

Her performance includes four half-centuries and also highlights Thunder’s commitment to promoting a diverse cricket community and creating memorable experiences for fans of Sri Lanka cricket.

The seating area, named ‘Chamari Bay’, becomes a gathering place for cricket enthusiasts and brings people together to celebrate the spirit of the game.

“This time my Sydney Thunder team is in very good form and heading to go to final and it’s depend on how we will play our next matches. Players from South Africa, England and Australia are included in my team and what a tremendous experience to play for the Sydney Thunder team,” added Chamari.

After this WBBL, she plans to participate in the New Zealand women’s league and the Women’s Legends league in the West Indies.

“I have a very busy schedule with next year’s World Cup qualifying tournament, as well as the next Sri Lankan team’s South Africa series. I always coordinate with my head coach Rumesh Ratnayake and other coaching staff members to get an idea of the National team’s progress. I know these days women’s domestic tournaments are going on while my teammates are getting hard training. After the New Zealand league, then the West Indies league (Women’s Legends tournament), and also if I am selected for the Women’s IPL in India, I have plans to get that exposure,” she said.

While expressing disappointment with the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) suspension, Athapaththu notes that the SLC President has assured no harm to either the men’s or women’s teams. With Sri Lanka’s women’s team performing well, Athapaththu remains committed to uplifting women’s cricket in the country and has no plans to retire soon.