Sri Lanka's inspirational captain Chamari Athapaththu has pinpointed the consecutive losses against cricketing giants India and England as the decisive blow that shattered her team's Women's World Cup aspirations. In a frank assessment of their campaign, the star batter revealed how these two matches became the tournament's turning point.
The Dream Start That Faded
Sri Lanka entered the prestigious tournament with soaring confidence, fresh off a historic T20 series victory against England. "We were riding high after beating England in that T20 series," Athapaththu confessed, highlighting the positive momentum her team carried into the World Cup.
The island nation began their campaign on a promising note, securing a comfortable victory against West Indies. However, the tide turned dramatically when they faced the formidable Indian side.
The Crushing Blow Against India
"Losing to India was where things started to go wrong," Athapaththu stated bluntly. The match against the Women in Blue proved to be a reality check for the Sri Lankan squad, exposing gaps in their execution and strategy.
The captain emphasized how this defeat created a domino effect, shaking the team's confidence and disrupting their rhythm at a crucial juncture in the tournament.
England Match: The Final Nail
If the India loss was concerning, the subsequent defeat against England proved catastrophic. "Then we lost to England, and that was pretty much the end of our World Cup hopes," Athapaththu revealed with evident disappointment.
The back-to-back losses against two of the world's top cricketing nations created an insurmountable obstacle in Sri Lanka's path to World Cup glory, leaving the team to reflect on what might have been.
Looking Ahead: Lessons Learned
Despite the World Cup setback, Athapaththu remains optimistic about Sri Lanka's future in women's cricket. The experience, though painful, has provided valuable lessons about consistency and performance under pressure against elite teams.
The captain's candid admission serves as both a post-mortem of their campaign and a rallying cry for the team to bridge the gap between occasional brilliance and sustained excellence on the world stage.
