By Mahendra Ratnaweera
Chamari Atapattu hailed a week back as a national treasure seems intend to lose all goodwill with her shocking decision to skip the tour of Ireland – its all-important T20 leg.
Has she lowered her esteem of being a treasure to carry a low value tag by preferring the 100 over the glory of representing her country who cheered her every effort at Dambulla barely a week back?
It is debatable if her return to Sri Lanka’s fold for the ODIs would make amends. T20 is where her signature is engraved and where her presence is most needed.
Sri Lanka were fast emerging the new kids on the block of women’s international cricket with her T20 exploits of which Chamari was the pivot.
Over the last 12-14 months She had led the Sri Lankans from the front so much so that her glory overshadowed the sluggish men in terms of providing hope to a cricket mad nation.
Below average performances from the men made Chamari and her fighting women the flag bearers of good wishes of fans.
The large crowd that thronged Dambulla was testimony to the hopes and aspirations of cricketing glory of the motherland.
Chamari and her team created history by being the first women’s side to attain cricketing glory.
The Irish tour could well have been the vehicle to carry forward that momentum into the World Cup in Bangladesh in October.
The conditions in Bangladesh are the most favorable next to home for the Sri Lankan lasses. They will be better equipped to use them than most teams.
The reason why winning the T20s in Ireland is an opportunity to further stamp Sri Lanka’s emergence
Chamari, Vishmi, Harshitha, Kavisha, Anushka, Inoshi, Udeshika are all cogs in the wheel that is so vital to winning World Cup glory.
Missing Chamari the most potent weapon to make that killer instinct impression is the last thing the Sri Lankans could ill afford.
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