Athapaththu plays key role in victory as Sri Lanka knock out Bangladesh
Sri Lanka won’t be going to the 50-overs World Cup in New Zealand in March, but at least assured themselves of an opportunity to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games to be played in Birmingham this July-August.
Incidentally, Bangladesh, who pipped them to the World Cup after the qualifying event was called off midway due to a covid outbreak, were once again in their way of securing the lone berth for the eight-team event.
Sri Lanka will now be placed in Group B alongside England, New Zealand and South Africa, while Group A comprises of Australia, India, Pakistan and Barbados.
Sri Lanka are one of the few Full Members that haven’t slotted in international fixtures for their women’s team amidst the pandemic. Between the end of the T20 World Cup in Australia in March 2020 and September 2021, they went a full 18 months without any top-flight cricket.
As it turned out, their inability to improve on their ODI rankings due to lack of match time led to them being a non-participant at the upcoming 50-overs World Cup.