Battle of two captains: Athapaththu v Matthews

• Three-match Women’s ODI series commences at Hambantota today

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Chamari Athapaththu, the Sri Lanka women’s captain and Hayley Matthews, the West Indies women’s skipper will have to play a stellar role if their teams are to emerge victorious in the three-match ODI and three-match T20I series at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Cricket Stadium in Hambantota. 

Both of them have been the bedrock of their team’s success.

The ODI series commences today with both teams in the hunt for wins and points to boost their positions in the ICC Women’s Championship 2022/23-2025 to gain automatic qualification for the next Women’s Cricket (50-over) World Cup in India in 2025. The top five teams along with host India will qualify directly for the World Cup, so the idea is to finish inside the top six.  

The two teams are currently tied on 14 points each, with West Indies slightly ahead on net run rate and placed seventh with Sri Lanka eighth. So the contest between the two sides is going to be keenly fought out.

West Indies are coming to Sri Lanka hot on the heels of a 3-0 ODI series sweep against Pakistan in Pakistan. Matthews was the key figure in that dominant victory scoring 325 runs (avg. 162.50) and capturing six wickets with her off-breaks.

Sri Lanka are also on a high having defeated New Zealand (2-1) at home, and South Africa (1-1) away sandwiched between a 2-0 loss to England in England. Athapaththu has been the cornerstone of Sri Lankan batting, scoring a mammoth 195* in their record run chase of 302 against South Africa, and 108* and 140* in their wins against New Zealand.

Sri Lanka has not beaten the West Indies in an ODI series since 2008 when, under all-rounder Shashikala Siriwardene, they won the five-match series 3-2 played at home. Since then, the two countries have met each other in bilateral ODI series on five occasions and West Indies have emerged victorious four times with one series ending in a draw.

The last series played between the two sides in the Caribbean in 2017 ended in a 3-0 win for West Indies. That was a time when Sri Lankan women cricketers were trying to find a right formula to turn their defeats into victories. Sri Lanka women’s cricket has never been a force to be reckoned with until now. With Athapaththu leading her young troops from the front, they have proved to be no easy pushovers as they once were.

The second and third WODIs will be played on 18 and 21 June.

Match officials for the WODIs series: Vanessa de Silva (ICC Match Referee), Lauren Agenbag (International Panel of ICC Development Umpires), Dedunu de Silva (International Panel of ICC Development Umpires), Ruchira Palliyaguruge (ICC International Panel Umpire), Lyndon Hannibal (ICC International Panel Umpire).

Captains Comparison 

Chamari Athapaththu 

(LHB/OB)

Batting

ODIs: 3513 runs (avg. 36.59) – 100s 9, S/R 75.06

T20Is: 2957 runs (avg. 23.65) – 100s 2, S/R 108.67

Bowling

ODIs: 29 wickets (avg. 49.24) – Best 3/31

T20Is: 48 wickets 

(avg. 27.60) – E/R 6.58

Hayley Matthews (RHB/OB)

Batting

ODIs: 2396 runs (avg. 31.11) – 100s 6, S/R 71.69

T20Is: 2231 runs (avg. 25.35) – 100s 2, S/R 113.07

Bowling

ODIs: 100 wickets (avg. 23.30) – Best 4/15

T20Is: 98 wickets (avg. 16.96) – E/R 5.85