The Queen of Sri Lanka Women's Cricket
Chamari Atapaththu who turns 35 years today, once found inspiration from a destructive southpaw and wanted to be just like him. But it's a "boy's sport", many said.
Following the 1996 World Cup win, there was a little girl in Gokarella who loved Sanath Jayasuriya so much that she wanted to be like him. The end result? A destructive left hand opener who leads the Sri Lanka Women's Cricket team who is none other than Chamari Athapaththu who turns 35 today!
Born on a day like this in Gokarella, is was her uncle who motivated her to take up the Cricket bat after showing an article that a Women's team will be playing for the first time in the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup.
With the motivation to be a Women's Cricketer and the influence of Jayasuriya who was her Cricketing role model, this girl was heading towards a path that was "not for girls" at a very young age.
A Determined Girl who wanted to play a Boy's Sport
After receiving a scholarship to Ibbagamuwa Central College, she started playing hardball cricket. It was a mixed school and would often play against the boys as well. The 'Tom Boy' in her refused to let others see her as "just a girl" since Cricket was not widely recognized as a sport played by women, but soon found her way to the Colts Cricket Club.
The tragic passing away of her father would have been a full stop to her career but with a diary he left behind on how to travel to Colombo, she pursued her dream of becoming a cricketer with the support of her uncle. On her 20th birthday, she finally met her idol while practicing in the nets, a moment she would cherish forever. Fast forward to the present, the numbers speak for themselves.
Chamari's Career in Numbers
Since her debut in 2009, she has scored more than 7000 runs in WODIs and WT20Is combined as Sri Lanka's all time highest run scorer and has also taken 98 wickets.
She is the highest run scorer in both formats for Sri Lanka and nearly scored the first Double Hundred by a Sri Lanka Women's Cricketer when she hit 195* against South Africa last year!
One of the key highlights in her career was to be awarded the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2023 which was after a decade since Kumar Sangakkara's achievement in 2013.
She even has her name among Sri Lanka's medalists at the Asian Games in two years, winning the Gold in 2014 and Silver in 2023. Last year, she had the priviledge to lead Sri Lanka to their forst ever Asia Cup win, in front of the home crowd.
Ever wondered where the story from her childhood was from? Here is the full video that doesn't get enough recognition on what made her become the Cricketer she is today.
Here's to wishing the Sri Lanka Women's Cricket captain on her 35th birthday today!