Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu remains hopeful her team can still qualify for the semi-finals of the Women’s Cricket World Cup, but she acknowledges the tough road ahead.
Sri Lanka must win all three remaining matches—against South Africa, Bangladesh, and Pakistan—to keep their knockout stage hopes alive.
The challenge has been compounded by weather interruptions. Their recent match against New Zealand was abandoned due to persistent rain at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, denying both teams a result and leaving Sri Lanka with just two points from their first four games.
This marked the second rain-affected no-result for Sri Lanka in the tournament, after their opener against Australia was washed out without a ball bowled.
Despite the disappointment, Sri Lanka’s batting performance against New Zealand was a bright spot. The team posted an impressive 258 for 6, their highest World Cup total at this venue.
Key contributions came from Nilakshika Silva, who scored a blistering 26-ball half-century—the fastest of the tournament—alongside skipper Athapaththu’s 53, Vishmi Gunaratne’s 42, and Hasini Perera’s 44.
Athapaththu praised Nilakshika’s form and the batting unit’s overall effort.
“Nilakshika is one of our most important and experienced players. Her late hitting added crucial momentum, helping us score 80 runs in the final ten overs,” she said.
She also highlighted Vishmi Gunaratne’s return to the top of the order after a period of struggle.
“Vishmi is our number one opener, and moving her back to her regular spot paid off,” Athapaththu explained.
The skipper remains realistic about their situation.
“We played good cricket and posted a score we could defend, but we missed another 20-25 runs. The weather is beyond our control; now our focus is on winning the next three matches,” she added.
Sri Lanka faces a crucial encounter with South Africa tomorrow (17).
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