Home
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu was left heartbroken after the five-wicket loss to West Indies which led to their ouster from the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 semifinal race. As Sri Lanka have already lost two out of their three games in Group B already, they are placed fifth on the points table. Chamari said that she considers herself a 'failure as a captain' as Sri Lanka are yet to qualify for a World Cup semifinal.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Actually, it's a sadness beyond words. I think I played around 18 years for the national team and I could never get a chance to take my team into a semi-final of a World Cup,” Chamari said.
ALSO READ: India coach breaks silence on Jemimah Rodrigues' lacklustre run in Women's T20 World Cup 2026
"Even though I have achieved many things personally, I think I'm a failure as a captain, because I think that's big pain for a player. Actually, now I have to be with that pain."
Sri Lanka collapse, easy win for West Indies
Chamari got bowled for a single-digit score by West Indies captain Hayley Matthews. She managed to score just two runs from six balls. Sri Lanka lost three wickets for just nine runs and four wickets in powerplay overs. Kavisha Dilhari and Nilakshi Silva tried to do damage control but lost their wickets before powerplay overs. Sri Lanka ended up getting bowled for a below par score of 98 in 19.4 overs.
Sri Lanka bowlers picked up five wickets but West Indies chased down the target with five wickets in hand and 23 balls to spare.
Chamari rues getting out early
The 36-year-old has scored just 33 runs from three innings in the ongoing tournament. She was in good form before the tournament, scoring 115 runs in the three-T20I series against Bangladesh. Then, she scored 94 runs in the warm-up game against Pakistan.
Chamari unsure about playing 2028 T20 World Cup
The southpaw said that she tried her best but should've played with more responsibility against West Indies. She did not blame her teammates for the defeat and expressed sadness as it may turn out to be her last chance to play in a World Cup event. On being asked whether she would play in the next edition of the T20 World Cup in 2028, she said that it will depend on her fitness and performances.
Sri Lanka not knocked out of semifinals yet
Mathematically, Sri Lanka are still alive in the semifinal race. Their next two matches are against Ireland (Bristol) and Scotland (Manchester) on June 23 and 26. They need to win these games by a big margin to improve their net run rate (NRR) which is currently -1.913. Then, they would be dependent on the results of other game. They would hope that either England or West Indies lost their next two games by big margins, preferably the Caribbean side whose current NRR is +0.644.
Sri Lanka's next opponent, Ireland are at the bottom of the points table with three consecutive losses. Sri Lanka would look to move on from a comprehensive loss with a big win. However, it will be a tall ask to expect Ireland to beat an in-form West Indies in their last league game on June 27.
ADVERTISEMENT
