SPIN DOCTORS – Sri Lanka eye World Cup upsets

The World Cup is here – but forget all that football nonsense for a moment. The T20 Women’s World Cup is ready to announce itself onto the big stage, with its opening fixture on Friday at Edgbaston, where hosts England take on Sri Lanka. Paul Edwards gives us the skinny.

There will be plenty of eyes on England

England’s women’s teams have made a habit of winning home World Cups in recent years – the latest of course being England women’s rugby team, who won in September last year.

Plus, Nat Sciver-Brunt is back from a calf injury to captain the side, while potential World Cup debutant 18-year-old Tilly Corteen-Coleman adds excitement. 

But could their South Asian opponents spoil the opening party?

One trick pony?

Sri Lanka are ranked sixth in the world in T20Is. They have competed in every edition of the T20 World Cup since its inception in 2009 – so we know what they have to offer on the world stage. 

However, they have not once advanced past the group stage, with the 2024 tournament being one of their toughest – they were eliminated without winning a single match.

In 2026, though, there are reasons to be optimistic.

On the plus side, they’ve avoided the group of death involving arguably the three tournament favourites in Australia, India and South Africa. 

But fixtures against England, West Indies, and the reigning champions New Zealand remain a stiff test. Scotland and Ireland are no pushovers either.

There are certainly no ‘easy’ matches, but the expanded tournament, alongside their kinder draw, gives Sri Lanka the opportunity to surpass their previous tournament best of two wins in 2016 and 2023.

If that is to happen, their talisman and captain, Chamari Athapaththu, will no doubt be at the forefront of quite literally everything. 

She is such a driving force in this Sri Lankan side – with the bat, with the ball and in the field – and has been for so long. Athapaththu is one of a handful of players to have appeared at every T20 World Cup.

A left-handed opening batter with enough power to clear the boundary at any ground in the world, she is also a canny operator with her off-spin.

She is the jewel in the Sri Lankan crown and their most recognisable global star, having featured in the ever-growing franchise T20 leagues around the world. 

She’s played for the likes of Oval Invincibles in The Hundred, Melbourne Renegades in the WBBL, and most recently UP Warriorz in the lucrative WPL.

She is, without doubt, the key to her side’s success.

A blessing and a curse

When Athapaththu fails with the bat, more often than not, her teammates follow suit, leading to unrecoverable batting collapses. 

That is the great conundrum with this Sri Lankan team, and it has plagued them for years.

As Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben once said, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’

There is a drastic over-reliance on their biggest international star. 

Athapaththu has shown that she has the capability to win matches, and even, at times, series, on her own. 

But that means teams will have plans upon plans to get her out, with the knowledge that victory becomes much more likely once Athapaththu is out.

There is some hope, however.

Sri Lanka will likely follow a style of cricket which saw them win an away T20 series over England in 2023. 

While Athapaththu inevitably won player of the series, she was helped by a plethora of spinners.

Coming back from 1-0 down in the series to win, England couldn’t cope with the lack of pace on the ball and relentless consistency, which led them to spoon up chances to fielders in attempts to boost the scoring rate. 

This could be the blueprint to overcome more well-established nations in English conditions.

Lower totals would relieve Athapaththu of the pressure of having to score the lion’s share of the runs. It would also allow her teammates, who were perhaps less adept at scoring quickly from the off, a few balls to settle into their innings.

One of those players is Harshitha Samarawickrama. 

She is not necessarily a household name, nor is she likely to produce the kind of shot that ends up on the ICC Instagram account. But in that 2023 series, she was not out in both of Sri Lanka’s victories, batting at number three. 

She will play a similar role in this tournament – this time as vice-captain. Her calmness under pressure – and having been there and done it before – make her an asset Sri Lanka will need in tight games.

Another player to watch is off-spinning all-rounder Kaveesha Dilhari. 

She, like Samarawickrama, played a pivotal role in 2023, taking five wickets at an average of 10.2, while also conceding less than a run a ball.

So, will that experience be enough? Can Athapaththu get the support she needs? Or could she carry Sri Lanka into the semi-finals for the first time in their history? 

The jury is out. There is only so much pressure an individual can carry.

But in one-off games, Sri Lanka could certainly cause upsets.

They are no pushovers. 

England beware.

Photos: ICC, Clare McEwen

Sri Lanka T20 WWC fixtures:

Friday 12th June 18.30: v England, Edgbaston

Tuesday 16th June 14:30: v New Zealand, Hampshire Bowl

Sunday 21st June 10:30: v West Indies, Bristol

Tuesday 23rd June 14:30: v Ireland, Bristol

Friday 26th June 18.30: v Scotland, Old Trafford

All matches live on Sky Sports.