Chamari Athapaththu Heartbroken After Sri Lanka’s World Cup Setback 

Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu after the loss to West Indies in 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup said, “I am really disappointed and I feel that I have let my team down as a captain.

Sri Lanka now faces an uphill battle to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, with defeat in Bristol hitting their chances hard. Batting first, Sri Lanka sputtered their way to 98 all out. One of the experienced players of the team, Chamari Athapaththu could only score 2 runs before she was dismissed. West Indies chased the target without breaking a sweat as they chased it down by five wickets and almost four overs to spare.

An emotional Athapaththu admitted afterwards the loss was ‘one of the toughest days in my long international career’ She has played for Sri Lanka for almost 18 years and this was her first Women’s T20 World Cup semi final appearance, ‘Leading my country to a World Cup semi final is one of my biggest dreams.

It was only the second time in her 121-match career that she had failed to score. The Ghanaian captain, 36, took responsibility for the result and refused to blame those around her. As captain and senior player, she said that he should have occupied the crease more responsibly and taken the team to a better total. Athapaththu regretted the missed opportunity especially now, because it meant Sri Lanka’s chances of further progress in the competition had dramatically lessened.

The experienced all-rounder also shared her thoughts on her international future. Athapaththu, who in 2017 led Sri Lanka to the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup on home soil and next year will eye her third tournament at this level when Pakistan hosts it in 2028, knows that age and fitness would be a key factor in whether she continues playing at top level. Although she has a responsibility to keep her fitness levels and performance outputs high, she said it ultimately comes down to both her personal form and what the team needs.

Sri Lanka have two group-stage games left to play – against Ireland and Scotland. With qualification hopes buried under two disappointments, the team will be looking to exit on a high note and reclaim some pride in its campaign.

Sri Lanka’s defeat at the ICW2016 leaves them with an uphill struggle while Athapaththu’s emotional comments are a reflection on the disappointing pace of qualification in another hard World Cup campaign.

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