Chamari Athapaththu Shines Again : Wins ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July

Sri Lankan captain Chamari Athapaththu has once again been crowned the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for July 2024. This is the second time she has won the award this year, having previously claimed the honor in May.

Athapaththu beat out stiff competition from India’s star openers, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, to secure the prestigious award. Her outstanding performance in leading Sri Lanka to a historic Women’s Asia Cup 2024 title was the driving force behind her victory.

This is the third time Athapaththu has been named ICC Women’s Player of the Month, tying her with West Indies’ Hayley Matthews for the second-most wins in the award’s history. Only Australia’s Ashleigh Gardner has won the award more times, with four.

The 34-year-old expressed her delight at winning the award, saying, “I am happy and honored to have been chosen as the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for the third time. It is heartening to see such recognition for my efforts, achieved with the support of my teammates and coaches, being continuously recognized by the cricketing world. I believe these recognitions will send a positive message to thousands of girls who are already playing cricket in my country and also elsewhere and want to play for their country; that commitment and dedication for the game will one day pay off.”

Athapaththu has been instrumental in Sri Lanka’s recent success. Under her leadership, the team has achieved several milestones, including their first-ever T20I series wins against England and South Africa. They also qualified for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 after winning all their matches in the qualifying tournament.

However, it was her performance in the Women’s Asia Cup that truly stood out. After a modest start to the tournament, Athapaththu exploded into form, scoring a career-best 119 not out against Malaysia. She followed this up with crucial half-centuries against Thailand, Pakistan, and India. Her overall tally of 304 runs at a strike rate of 146.85 was exceptional.

Not only did Athapaththu excel with the bat, but she also contributed with the ball, picking up three wickets in the tournament, including one in the final against India.

Her outstanding all-round performance was a key factor in Sri Lanka’s historic Asia Cup triumph, and her recognition as ICC Women’s Player of the Month is a fitting reward for her exceptional contribution to the game.