Sri Lanka will face a formidable Australian side in Colombo on Saturday in the ongoing Women’s World Cup. After losing their opening match of the tournament against India, the Sri Lankan team will be looking to bounce back in their second game. Captain Chamari Athapaththu believes that facing the strongest teams early on will be beneficial for her team’s growth.
“Yes, we’re playing against the two best teams in our first two games, but that’s really good for us,” Athapaththu said ahead of the match against Australia. “Because then we have some games against teams – like South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Bangladesh – whom we have beaten over the last 12 to 15 months. So it’s good to start with the best teams, as it allows us to prepare well, learn from our mistakes, and bounce back.”
Between October 2019 and June 2022, Sri Lanka didn’t play a single ODI. Since then, they have played a total of 31 ODIs, but they rarely face elite teams like Australia.
“Everyone knows the Australians are the best team and have a very experienced side. In 2019, we played a series against them, and I scored a century in Brisbane. After that, we didn’t play Australia again due to COVID and various other reasons. So we missed the opportunity to play against them,” added Athapaththu.
While Sri Lanka lost their first match, Australia registered a comfortable win over New Zealand in their tournament opener.
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