Sri lankan
Women's World Cup: Athapaththu Credits 'fight Till End’ Attitude For Thrilling Win Over Bangladesh
Her four-wicket burst (4-42) in the death overs, including four scalps in four balls, turned the contest around as Sri Lanka snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and stayed alive in the competition. “Actually, we handled the pressure till the last over. As a captain, I always say fight till the end. So we kept fighting. We executed the right plans,” Athapaththu said after the match. “Though we dropped many catches and made a few mistakes, it wasn’t our best performance but I’m happy with the win.”
Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka had a nightmare start with Vishmi Gunaratne dismissed off the first ball of the innings. But Athapaththu and Hasini Perera rebuilt with counterattacking intent, peppering the boundaries to revive the innings. Athapaththu’s fluent 46 set the tone before leg-spinner Rabeya Khan struck, dismissing her and triggering a middle-order wobble.
