Athapaththu to continue playing for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu has no plans of drawing curtains to a glorious international career anytime soon.

Head coach Jamie Siddons has shared an update on the veteran’s availability with the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on the horizon.

"Chamari, I've had a great chat with her. She is keen to play for a lot longer than one or two more years," Siddons said.

Athapaththu’s commitment to continue bolsters Sri Lanka’s outfit given her recent form with the bat, having finished as the highest scorer for her team in the ODI and T20I series win against West Indies.

"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, raving about the most experienced player in the Sri Lankan squad.

Having captained Sri Lanka in 108 T20Is, Athapaththu has the second-most appearances to her name as a skipper in Women’s T20Is. She’s only behind India’s Harmanpreet Kaur in the overall tally (135).

The 36-year-old is also the fourth-highest run-getter of all time in Women’s T20Is, boasting 3637 runs from a total of 154 outings. This includes three centuries and 14 half-centuries.

While Athapaththu’s presence adds a wealth of experience in the ranks, Siddons is also eager to provide opportunity to fresh talent ahead of the T20 World Cup this summer.

“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,” he said.

“We’re going to Bangladesh before the World Cup and that gives us an opportunity to look at some of the new players coming through.”

Sri Lanka are slotted in Group 2 of the Women’s T20 World Cup alongside hosts England, West Indies, Ireland, Scotland and the defending champions New Zealand.