By Sri Lanka Women’s cricket team captain, Chamari Athapaththu, has recently addressed speculations regarding her future in international cricket, clarifying her immediate focus on the forthcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers. The 34-year-old’s comments come in the wake of a now-deleted Facebook post where she hinted at retirement, following Sri Lanka’s notable T20I series victory over South Africa.
Ahead of the ODI series against South Africa, Athapaththu highlighted her dedication to her current responsibilities with the Sri Lankan team. Despite the hints at retirement, she asserted that her focus remains on the upcoming fixtures, particularly the World Cup qualifiers.
“I’m still undecided [about retirement],” Athapaththu stated on the eve of the first ODI against South Africa. “We can discuss it later. Right now, my concentration is on the ODIs against South Africa and the World Cup qualifiers. Let’s see what the future holds.”
At least until the Qualifiers, Sri Lanka will have Athapaththu leading the team. The team needs to secure a place in the finals of the Qualifiers to secure their spot in the main tournament, scheduled to take place in Bangladesh later this year.
In the Qualifiers, set to commence in the UAE on April 25th, Sri Lanka finds themselves in Group A alongside Scotland, Thailand, Uganda, and USA. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.
