Sri Lanka women’s cricket team captain Chamari Athapaththu has climbed two spots to secure the ninth position in the ICC Women’s Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) player rankings. Her promotion came on the back of a consistent performance in the recently concluded three-match series against Bangladesh, which Sri Lanka won 2-1.
Athapaththu, a left-handed opener, scored 38, 33, and 32 runs in the series, for a total of 103 runs, to advance two places in the rankings. Her compatriots Harshita Samarawickrama and Nilakshi de Silva also made significant gains in the rankings, with Samarawickrama moving up 12 places to 27th position and de Silva rising nine places to 51st position.
Left-arm bowlers Inoka Ranaweera, Sugandika Kumari, and Udeshika Prabodhini also moved up in the rankings after their strong performances in the series. Ranaweera advanced five places to 12th position, Kumari rose 20 places to 33rd, and Prabodhini gained 21 places to secure the 38th position. Inoka Ranaweera ended the series with four wickets to her name, while Sugandika Kumari and Udeshika Prabodhini took five wickets each.
For Bangladesh, skipper Nigar Sultana moved up four places to secure the 18th position in the rankings after aggregating 113 runs in the series. Leg-spinner Fahima Khatun’s five-wicket haul also helped her climb 29 places to secure the 56th position.
In the current ICC Women’s T20I Player rankings, Tahlia McGrath of Australia remains in the top spot with 801 rating points. Beth Mooney, also from Australia, follows her with 770 points, while Smriti Mandhana of India remains in third place with 722 rating points. Meg Lanning, Sophie Devine, Laura Wolvaardt, Ashleigh Gardner, Suzie Bates, and Alyssa Healy occupy the remaining spots in the top 10.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s T20I bowling rankings, Sophie Ecclestone of England leads with 801 points, followed by Nonkululeko Mlaba of South Africa with 746 rating points and Darcie Brown of Australia with 737 rating points.
Sports have always been a huge part of my life, and having played cricket professionally for my state team, I gained a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed in the world of sports. With an eye for detail and passion for sports, I’m hoping to make a lasting impact in the sports industry.