It was a performance befitting the most decorated player in the history of Sri Lankan women's cricket.
Star batter and captain Chamari Athapaththu had enjoyed a fairly low key Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier, managing to reach a half century only once, in the group phase against Scotland.
But taking on the Scots again in the final – with qualification for the World Cup in Bangladesh safely in the bag – Athapaththu decided the time was right to go through the gears and remind the world of her immense talent.
A sparkling 63-ball 102 followed, guiding her team to a 68-run victory at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, which meant Sri Lanka had finished the 10-team tournament undefeated after seven weeks on the road.
“We have been playing good cricket as a team in recent times as compared with the previous years, with wins over New Zealand, England, South Africa and now coming on top at the T20 World Cup qualifiers,” Athapaththu told The National before boarding the flight back home on Wednesday.
“Right now, the focus is only on the World Cup. I think we are peaking at the right time with some pretty good results behind us.”
She believes the success is due to the changes implemented by the new coach Rumesh Ratnayake, the former Sri Lanka international, who was also in interim charge of the men’s team in 2017.
“He created a different culture in the dressing room,” added Athapaththu. “New ideas and planning, and then the executions of those plans in both training and matches. He made the girls believe in their abilities and we got stronger as a group.
“Previously, I used to score and perform but we still ended up losing the game. Now we are winning because of the contributions from every player. We always talked about positive things in the dressing room. And the girls are playing really good cricket. As a captain, I'm really proud of my girls and my staff.
“Women’s cricket is progressing well. We now have four squads made up of the national team, an A team squad, as well as development and age group squads for a steady flow of players to emerge from the system.
“This system has been in place for a while and it’s a matter of time for the results to come.”
Athapaththu's impact on Sri Lankan cricket cannot be understated. The century against Scotland was her second in T20Is, while the 34 year old also has nine ODI tons to her name, including an epic 195 not out that helped Sri Lanka secure the highest ever one-day run-chase of 305 to defeat South Africa last month.
It was a career-best one-day knock and third-highest individual score by a batter in women's ODIs, behind only Amelia Kerr's unbeaten 232 for New Zealand against Ireland, and Belinda Clark's 229 not out for Australia versus Denmark.
In 2023, Athapaththu became the first Sri Lankan female cricketer to win the ICC Player of the Year award after a stellar 12 months that saw her score 415 runs in eight matches, at an average of 69.16 and a strike-rate of 125.37. Highlights also included leading the team to victory against New Zealand to win the ICC Women’s Championship series against New Zealand.
She’s also the first Sri Lankan player to have a dedicated seating zone in a stadium, when the Sydney Thunder announced the introduction of “Chamari Bay” at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground.
Such has been Athapaththu's success that fans have labelled her the female Sanath Jayasuriya, after the big-hitting batter who starred in Sri Lanka's 1996 men's World Cup winning team and is regarded as one of the all-time great all-rounders of limited-overs cricket.
“Sanath aiya [older brother] is a legend,” said Athapaththu. “I’m not anywhere close to be compared with him, but if someone thinks I’m even close to him in any way, I will take that as a massive compliment.
“He’s my cricketing hero and role model. My cricket started with Sanath aiya. He’s always been an inspiration to me, even now.
“I loved to play like him. I even changed my batting stance to follow his style of play. However, I couldn’t match him and then over a period of time, I had to adopt my own style. I still love his aggression and attacking play, though.”
Athapaththu was six when she watched Sri Lanka play in the 1996 Cricket World Cup and it was observing Jayasuriya’s batting display that turned out to be a life-changing experience for her.
She already had a fair knowledge of the bat and ball game, taught to her by late uncle Chandra Dissanayake, a cricket coach with whom she played in their back garden from age four.
“Everyone around me watching the World Cup matches on TV was talking about Sanath aiya. I started to like him very much for the way he smashed the bowling,” she said.
“Sanath aiya was my role model for most of my cricketing career and I still have very high regards for him. I had the good fortune of meeting him personally for the first time on my 21st birthday.
“It was a coincidence. I was batting at the nets and Sanath aiya was batting in the next at the Khettarama Stadium where the national team trained. I had brought a cake to celebrate with my teammates. I requested my coach to introduce me to him. I took a piece of the cake and walked across when he was done with the training.
“He wished me [happy birthday] and presented me his bat and the pair of gloves which he was wearing. I still have them and it remains as one of the most sentimental gifts in my trophy cabinet.
“It’s very funny. I bat left handed like Sanath aiya, but everything else, I do it with my right hand. I bowl right arm and write with my right hand.”
Athapaththu is the only child in the family and her biggest fans have been her mother, father and uncle.
“My mother is the only one living now,” she says. “These three were my superheroes. My father used to accompany me for all the matches but sadly he couldn’t see me play for Sri Lanka. They were the pillars on where I stand now as a cricketer.
“It was they who nurtured, supported and encouraged me on my cricketing journey. I really miss my father and uncle. I played football and volleyball aside from cricket during schooldays, and they always came to watch me play.”
And her mother will be watching in pride later this year as Athapaththu heads for her ninth T20 World Cup appearance in a row, having played in every tournament since the inaugural competition in 2009.
Sri Lanka face Australia in their World Cup opener on October 4, in a group that also includes New Zealand, Pakistan and India. The other group consists of hosts Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa and the West Indies.
“If we have to win the World Cup, we must be able to face any team and win against them. It’s the 10 best teams and I feel we are prepared for the challenge,” Athapaththu said, when asked about the strength of the group they are in.
“We’ll take one game at a time and try to keep it simple and play our best cricket according to our plans. We know our strength. So, I think, I hope we can play some good cricket in Bangladesh.”
South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate
Andor
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Managing the separation process
- Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
- Relax – and hopefully your child will follow suit
- Inform the staff in advance of your child’s likes and dislikes.
- If you need some extra time to talk to the teachers, make an appointment a few days in advance, rather than attempting to chat on your child’s first day
- The longer you stay, the more upset your child will become. As difficult as it is, walk away. Say a proper goodbye and reassure your child that you will be back
- Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
- Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
ICC men's cricketer of the year
2004 - Rahul Dravid (IND) ; 2005 - Jacques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (ENG); 2006 - Ricky Ponting (AUS); 2007 - Ricky Ponting; 2008 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI); 2009 - Mitchell Johnson (AUS); 2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND); 2011 - Jonathan Trott (ENG); 2012 - Kumar Sangakkara (SL); 2013 - Michael Clarke (AUS); 2014 - Mitchell Johnson; 2015 - Steve Smith (AUS); 2016 - Ravichandran Ashwin (IND); 2017 - Virat Kohli (IND); 2018 - Virat Kohli; 2019 - Ben Stokes (ENG); 2021 - Shaheen Afridi
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
