Chamari Athapaththu Wins ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July 2024
Sri Lanka’s captain, Chamari Athapaththu, has been named the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July 2024. She surpassed India’s star openers, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, to win this prestigious award.
Historic Achievements
July was a remarkable month for Athapaththu, who led Sri Lanka to their first Women’s Asia Cup title by defeating seven-time champions India. This is her third ICC Women’s Player of the Month award, making her the joint second-most successful cricketer in this category, tied with West Indies’ Hayley Matthews and just behind Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner.
Athapaththu’s Statement
“I am happy and honoured to have been chosen as the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for the third time, and it is heartening to see such recognition for my efforts–achieved with the support of my teammates and coaches–being continuously acknowledged by the cricketing world,” Athapaththu said. She added, “I believe these recognitions will send a positive message to thousands of girls who are already playing cricket in my country and elsewhere, encouraging them that commitment and dedication to the game will one day pay off.”
Outstanding Performances
Under Athapaththu’s leadership, Sri Lanka has achieved several milestones, including their first-ever T20I series wins against England and South Africa. In the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2024, held in Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka won all their matches to qualify for the global event in October.
July was particularly memorable for Athapaththu’s contribution to Sri Lanka’s historic Women’s Asia Cup triumph. She excelled with the bat, scoring 304 runs at a strike rate of 146.85, including a career-best 119* against Malaysia. She also made significant contributions in the semi-final and final, with scores of 63 and 61 against Pakistan and India, respectively. Additionally, she took three wickets, including one in the final against India.
Doubts Revealed
Chamari Athapaththu -: Chamari Athapaththu is a famous cricketer from Sri Lanka. She is the captain of the Sri Lankan women’s cricket team.
ICC -: ICC stands for International Cricket Council. It is the organization that governs and organizes cricket matches and tournaments around the world.
Women’s Player of the Month -: The Women’s Player of the Month is an award given by the ICC to the best female cricketer for that month based on their performance in matches.
Smriti Mandhana -: Smriti Mandhana is a well-known Indian cricketer. She plays for the Indian women’s cricket team and is known for her excellent batting skills.
Shafali Verma -: Shafali Verma is another talented Indian cricketer. She is one of the youngest players in the Indian women’s cricket team and is famous for her aggressive batting.
Women’s Asia Cup -: The Women’s Asia Cup is a cricket tournament where women’s teams from different Asian countries compete against each other.
Hayley Matthews -: Hayley Matthews is a cricketer from the West Indies. She is known for her all-round performance in cricket, meaning she is good at both batting and bowling.
Ashleigh Gardner -: Ashleigh Gardner is an Australian cricketer. She is known for her powerful batting and effective bowling.
119* -: 119* means that Chamari Athapaththu scored 119 runs and was not out by the end of her team’s innings. The ‘*’ indicates that she remained not out.
semi-final -: A semi-final is a match that decides which teams will go to the final. It is one step before the final match in a tournament.
final -: The final is the last match in a tournament. The winner of the final match becomes the champion of the tournament.
