Chamari Athapaththu
Defending champions Sri Lanka moved to the top of Group B in the Women’s Asia Cup after beating Indonesia by 75 runs in Dubai on Thursday, thanks to captain Chamari Athapaththu’s record seven-wicket haul and Nilakshika Silva’s half-century. Sri Lanka were defending a modest target of 125 on a slow-paced pitch, but Athapaththu turned the match around with one of the best bowling performances in women’s T20 internationals. Indonesia were bowled out for 49. Rahmawati Pangestuti scored 10, while Ni Made Putri Suwandewi remained unbeaten on 12. Earlier, Sri Lanka were in trouble at 62/6 before Nilakshika Silva scored 50 off 35 balls to lift them to 124/7. The 30-year-old went past Mithali Raj to become the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket across all formats.
No other Indonesian batter reached double figures. The win took Sri Lanka to the top of Group B in the Women’s Asia Cup. Meanwhile, India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana also made history during India’s Group A match against Hong Kong in Dubai.