Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu named ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year
Jan 25, 2024
New Delhi [India], January 25 : Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu on Thursday was named the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year following her stellar performance in the 50-over format in 2023.
Top-order batter Athapaththu contributed to her team with the bat and as captain, especially while leading her side to a first bilateral series win over New Zealand. In 2023, the Lankan player scored 415 runs and picked up one wicket in 8 ODI matches.
Athapaththu began 2023 with her team's 1-0 win over Bangladesh after rain played a spoilsport in the three-game ODI series.
Chamari Athapaththu, the Sri Lanka skipper, scored 64 runs from 60 balls with six fours and four sixes against Bangladesh.
Her best performance came against New Zealand when Sri Lanka recorded their first-ever bilateral series win (2-1).
Athapaththu's unbeaten 108 and 140 came under pressure while chasing.
The opener was at the crease to guide her team to a remarkable victory.
She brought her best performance in the crunch series decider against New Zealand with a stunning 140-run knock and took Sri Lanka to a historic victory.
Sri Lanka found themselves in a tough situation early on at 4/2 within the first four overs while chasing a target of 196 in 29 overs. However, the skipper took an aggressive approach and made a turnaround in the game against New Zealand.
