Chamari Athapaththu delivered one of the most devastating bowling performances in women’s cricket history, claiming a record-breaking 7 for 5 to dismantle Indonesia and secure Sri Lanka’s second consecutive win at the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 in Dubai. Her spell not only included a hat-trick, the first by a Sri Lankan in Women’s T20Is, but also established multiple milestones, including the best bowling figures in Women’s T20 Asia Cup history and the first seven-wicket haul by any player, male or female, in an Asia Cup tournament.
Sri Lanka, batting first after Indonesia won the toss and elected to bowl, found themselves in early trouble at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 2 September 2026. Despite a fighting half-century from Nilakshika Silva (50 off 35 balls) and a useful 50-run seventh-wicket stand with Kawya Kavindi (15* off 19), Sri Lanka could manage only 124 for 7 in their 20 overs. Indonesia’s bowlers, led by Ni Luh Dewi (3 for 32) and Sang Maypriani (2 for 19), kept things tight throughout.
Chasing 125, Indonesia started cautiously with an 18-run opening stand before Athapaththu struck in the fourth over, dismissing Rahmawati Pangestuti for 10. What followed was nothing short of carnage: Athapaththu tore through the Indonesian batting lineup, finishing with figures of 3.3-0-5-7, including a hat-trick that wrapped up the innings in just 18.3 overs. Indonesia collapsed to 49 all out, losing their last nine wickets for only 31 runs, handing Sri Lanka a commanding 75-run victory.
Chamari Athapaththu’s 7 for 5 is now the best bowling performance in the history of the Women’s T20 Asia Cup, surpassing all previous records in the tournament’s six editions. More remarkably, she became the first player, male or female, to take a seven-wicket haul in any Asia Cup tournament, etching her name into continental cricket folklore. Her figures also stand as the best by a player from a full-member nation in women’s T20Is and rank fifth-best overall in the format’s history.
The 36-year-old all-rounder’s hat-trick victims, Ni Kadek Ariani, Sang Maypriani, and Dara A Laksmi Paramitha, came in quick succession during the death overs, sealing the match in spectacular fashion. With this performance, Athapaththu also joined Argentina’s Alison Stocks as only the second captain in women’s T20I history to claim a seven-wicket haul.
This match-winning effort earned Athapaththu her 21st Player of the Match award in T20Is, moving her level with New Zealand’s Suzie Bates and West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor for joint-fourth on the all-time list. Since her T20I debut against India in June 2009, Athapaththu has taken 85 wickets in 108 innings at an average of 23.45 and an economy of 6.64, including one four-wicket haul prior to this historic seven-fer.
With two wins from two games, Sri Lanka sit atop Group B with four points, having defeated the hosts UAE by nine wickets and now Indonesia by 75 runs. Athapaththu’s side will face Bangladesh, led by Nigar Sultana Joty, in their final league fixture on 6 September at the same venue.
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