Sri Lanka Cricket Chairman Shammi Silva Addressing A Press Conference (Source: AFP Photos)
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been in the news for a while, as many marquee players from the country have yet to pass the fitness test to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for IPL 2026 participation.
In between, a big announcement came from SLC’s end, and it was regarding their captain’s future for the next World Cup tournament.
Sri Lanka Cricket Opens Up On Chamari Athapaththu's Future
Sri Lanka will next play in the women's T20 World Cup 2026, which begins on June 12. The tournament will have 33 T20s, scheduled to have its final on Sunday. The England and Wales will host the entire tournament across seven venues.
Among women, Sri Lanka‘s greatest ever cricketer Chamari Athapaththu has turned 36. Given the fact that she is also Sri Lanka’s captain, and has only had one win in seven matches during the last year’s Women’s World Cup in India, questions were raised about her participation in the upcoming mega event.
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To clear the air, Sri Lanka head coach Jamie Siddons stepped up and confirmed she will be there when they are in the UK after two months or so.
"Chamari, I've had a great chat with her. She is keen to play for a lot longer than one or two more years. In the last two practice matches (against the West Indies), she's dominated the games. She can keep going for a lot longer," Siddons said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
“The World Cup is our big focus and we’ve got some tough games coming up. England at home will be a hard nut to crack. West Indies and New Zealand are quality sides as well,” Siddons added.
Chamari Athapaththu Stats
Ever since making her international debut back in June 2009, Chamari Athapaththu has become a sensational all-rounder regardless of the formats. In total, she has played 124 ODIs and 154 T20Is, making 4104 runs and 3637 runs respectively.
She has been equally good with the ball in hand, with 52 ODI wickets and 67 T20I wickets, speaking volumes.
Moreover, Athapaththu has played in plenty of elite women’s franchise league competitions, with Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Thunder, Melbourne Renegades, Northern District, Oval Invincibles and UP Warriorz to name a few.
Sri Lanka Pooled Into Group B In Women's World Cup 2026
Sri Lanka are placed in Group B of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will have 12 teams in total. The Chamari Athapaththu-led side are pooled alongside hosts England, New Zealand, West Indies, Ireland and Scotland.
Their first match, hopefully under the leadership of Athapaththu, will be against England, which is also the curtain raiser of the tournament. Edgbaston will host the event opener.
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