Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu dismisses retirement rumours, will lead team in T20 World Cup qualifiers
Sri Lanka women's cricket captain Chamari Athapaththu remains undecided about retirement despite recent cryptic Facebook posts, confirming her leadership for the upcoming T20 World Cup qualifiers.
FollowChamari Athapaththu, the Sri Lankan women's cricket captain, has clarified that she has not yet made a decision regarding her retirement and will continue to play in the T20 World Cup qualifiers scheduled for late April. Speculations arose about Athapaththu's future in cricket after she posted cryptic messages on Facebook over the past week, hinting at potential retirement. However, she confirmed that she remains focused on the upcoming ODIs against South Africa and the T20 World Cup qualifiers.
Athapaththu, who is set to play her 100th ODI for Sri Lanka in the upcoming series, expressed her commitment to lead the team until the completion of the T20 World Cup Qualifier campaign, beginning on April 25 in Abu Dhabi. Sri Lanka aims to secure a spot in the World Cup in Bangladesh later this year by topping their group, which includes Thailand, Scotland, Uganda, and the USA.
Despite her uncertainties about retirement, Athapaththu is optimistic about Sri Lanka's chances in the qualifiers, citing the team's strong performances in recent series against top sides like England and South Africa. She also highlighted the progress of young talents like Vishmi Gunaratne, Kavisha Dilhari, and Harshita Samarawickrama, indicating a promising future for Sri Lankan women's cricket.
Athapaththu emphasized the positive developments in Sri Lankan cricket, including the restructuring of domestic tournaments and increased participation at the grassroots level, which bodes well for the team's growth and competitiveness in the future.
