Plan is on to play women’s T10 league in December: Chamari Athapaththu

New Delhi, Aug 27 (IANS) Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu disclosed there are plans to organise a T10 women’s league in the country in December. Even as many women’s T20 leagues are successfully running worldwide, Chamari added talks are on for a women’s T20 league in Sri Lanka next year.

“I always talk about these things in Sri Lanka. I talked to Sri Lanka board president and they are keen to do a franchise league in Sri Lanka as well. So we plan to play T10 league in December, which is in our calendar. Next year we are trying to organise T20 league in Sri Lanka as well.”

“My teammates need some exposure of playing franchise league and learn from the overseas players as well. Because if we play more games, we can develop women’s cricket. I know that, and I hope a similar franchise league is there for Sri Lankan girls in future,” said Chamari in a virtual media interaction organised the broadcasters of Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) in India.

Through her experiences in various leagues such as the Women’s Premier League, WBBL, Super Smash, The Hundred, the now-defunct Kia Super League, and Women’s T20 Challenge, Chamari has gained invaluable exposure to different playing situations and insights into the workings of the top players both on and off the field. With a relaxed smile on her face, Chamari elaborates on how her involvement in the franchise T20 bandwagon has made her one of the most formidable women’s cricketer worldwide.

“A lot of people think franchise cricket is all about money. But I don’t think like that because we can learn a lot things from franchise cricket. I learnt a lot of things as I share the same dressing room with the youngsters, and even some top players. So we learn how they prepare for the games, training, and manage themselves in the dressing room, and learn a lot about cultures.

“We have shared the dressing room with England, South African, and Indian players, which is a different vibe, and gives positive things to learn. I learnt a lot of things from Sophie Devine, Beth Mooney, Harman (Harmanpreet Kaur), because they are different characters and players. They know how to manage themselves in the middle. So how they manage the pressure, and handle the other players, is something I learnt a lot.

“I carry those things and share it with my Sri Lanka teammates. Compared to wherever I played all around the world, WPL is different because it is next level – money and playing wise. WBBL is different because they have good structure – they have good players, and even their second and third layer players are really good in WBBL. England is a different atmosphere, and they now have good second and third layer as well.”

“So franchise cricket developed all around the world cricket, and now we can see a lot of players go more runs. Even the team score is going a little bit high – in Asia Cup, India score 165, we chased that in the final. Players play different shots, strategies and planning because we learn from different coaches. Finally I can say franchise cricket developed women’s cricket all around the world.

Chamari has now got a soild mental routine involving meditation and visualization before games. “I’m doing more analyzing stuff, like how the other bowlers are playing and what are their strategies and game plans. Then I prepare before the game with my head coach. I’m not hitting 150 balls; just 10-15 balls.”

“When the ball is middling the bat, then I stop hitting. I just relax in my room, focus on the game, and do some visualization before the game because I’m a Buddhist, and it’s always in my vibe. So, I’m doing meditation as well before the game.”

Sri Lanka’s women’s cricket team is gaining attention and interest due to recent accomplishments, like winning the Women’s Asia Cup on their home turf. Chamari’s fearless strokeplay and wily off-spin bowling make her an inspiration for Sri Lanka’s players.

But the Sri Lankan captain is particularly excited about the emergence of Harshita Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, and Kavisha Dilhari. In the Asia Cup final at Dambulla, after Chamari fell for 61, Harshita and Kavisha hanged around to secure an eight-wicket win and get the trophy by successfully chasing 166.

Chamari feels less pressure with the trio’s rise and expects this to carry over to the next month’s T20 World Cup. “Kavisha played really good cricket in Asia Cup final and is one of the good all-rounders, while Harshita and Vishmi are good batters in Sri Lanka. I always tell them to keep it simple, play your game, don’t take too much pressure. But now, I don’t have any pressure now because the youngsters really lift me all the time in the Sri Lankan team.”

“As a captain, I am really happy about that because I feel now I can play my natural game, because now I don’t have any pressure. I just play my game, because in the last two or three years, we built good culture in the team. Even we restructured our domestic structure, and got some good players.

“I hope these girls play their best cricket in T20 World Cup as well, as now a lot of coaches and other team players are also talking about these three girls, because they are really good. They don’t have big muscles but they are playing their best cricket in the middle. That’s the important thing for me as a captain, and I am really proud of them.

At the same time, Chamari is guarding against complacency in the T20 World Cup. “Definitely we played our best cricket in Asia Cup final. But every day is fresh day, and a fresh game. So we have to focus on every game. We sit back and relax but we have to focus on next game, especially in the T20 World Cup. So, the Asia Cup win is one win and it’s now history.”

“Just focus on what we can do, because if we relax too much and think we have done everything, we are going back. So I have to focus on next game and next World Cup one game at a time. A lot of spectators, and even the Sri Lankan fans I know, they have a lot of hopes from me and my team. But we have to take one game, one time and focus on what we can do.”

In the aftermath of winning the Asia Cup, Chamari experienced a poignant moment as she embraced her mother, with the scintillating trophy in hand. Chamari regards it as a memory that will never be forgotten.

“My mother came to a stadium after 13 years to see me in my game because she is suffering from cellulite. So she struggled a lot in last 10-12 years. But finally she came to see in my game because Dambulla is very close to my hometown. So that’s an unforgettable memory. She came for two games – for the 100 I scored against Malaysia and the final as well.

“So as a cricketer and daughter, I am happy because my mom was in the stadium after 13 years. I sacrificed a lot of things for cricket. But my mom sacrificed a lot of things for me. So this was a tribute for my mom, and that’s why I took the trophy with me after the final.

There was also Shashikala Siriwardene, the former skipper of Sri Lanka and someone whom Chamari considers her elder sister, who appeared via video call in the team’s post Asia Cup winning celebrations. “I love her as she helped me develop as a cricketer and captain. I learnt a lot of things from her.”

“She sacrificed a lot of things more than me for Sri Lanka and played close to 20 years, so she’s our, as well as my role model. When I was playing for Sri Lanka, she was my first captain, and is one of the legends. I have to say thanks to Shashi. She’s always in my mind, and our team.”

Chamari will be the focal point of the T20 World Cup in October, as she leads the Sri Lankan campaign with determination while wearing the yellow and blue jersey on the field. She will be aiming for a remarkable performance in the tournament, which will serve as a huge catalyst in driving the future success of Sri Lanka in women’s cricket.

–IANS

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