Sri Lanka women’s Cricket team yesterday won their maiden Women's Asia Cup 2024, reviving dwindling interest in the sport after a prolonged period of abysmal performance by the men’s team. The landmark victory came by beating India Women by eight wickets at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla as they chased down a 166-run target with eight wickets and eight balls to spare.
The atmosphere at the stadium and around the island was one of absolute elation! The ladies had broken the walls that separated and contained them and soared high. The crowd that gathered at Dambulla and watched the match glued to their screens across the planet, will likely never forget it.
Chamari Athapaththu in her true trailblazer style led the women and Sri Lanka victory. What Chamari, Harshitha and the team delivered, was not only a record-breaking victory, but also much welcomed respite for Sri Lankans, who are traversing a difficult period. The victory is not limited to the playing field. What the Lankan women’s team did, will have a ripple effect on Sri Lanka’s cultural and social landscape, and will also impact the futures of Sri Lankan women. Chamari and her team have become a beacon for women in the region, and have lit that spark of ‘Can do, will do’ in the young hearts of many Sri Lankan girls.
The road to Dambulla was paved with bitter-sweet memories and a history of failures and rising up like a phoenix. To put the victory in perspective, the history of Sri Lanka women's cricket began when Sri Lanka entered the international arena in 1997. The Sri Lankan team lost the tournament with the Netherlands, lost 19 consecutive matches from 2015 to 2017 and ranked second among the countries with the most consecutive defeats in the history of international women's cricket. In 2022, Sri Lanka team lost consecutive 20-over matches with India and Pakistan, at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the team lost all the three matches they participated in and fell to the bottom of the 'B' group, ranked seventh in the world 20-over rankings. We should also not forget that for a significant period of time, the women’s team were not given the opportunity to play an international game. The road to Dambulla also included all the challenges professional sports women in Sri Lanka have faced over the years. From, lack of resources, poor prioritisation, not being taken seriously and often being viewed as a box to be ticked, or a novelty, the Lankan women’s team, and ones before them have seen it all.
The achievements of the Sri Lankan women’s team, came about due to an anchor that refused to give up, and that is the role Chamari Athapaththu played for a long time. Much of the recent success can be attributed to the work put in by her and what she has built. The Sri Lanka women's team, which thought that there would be no victories without Chamari, today consists of a group of people who can chase victory even when Chamari's contribution is minimal. That is the legacy of her leadership. It must be noted that Chamari's leadership qualities have many lessons for those in the Lankan men’s team. On the other hand, it is the practical example that when there is strong leadership, a strong team is forged, and individual players who are more confident and better equipped form around such teams.
The victory at Dambulla, is an opportunity to motivate the women's community in Sri Lanka by using it as an example of the 'power to stand up' to break barriers, which Sri Lankan women have to deal with on a daily basis. Moreover, it is an opportunity to get rid of the poor mentality, outdated social norms, and degrading culture of ‘keeping women’ limited to a ‘few controllable roles’. Take a bow, Lankan ladies, and forge ahead.