Athapaththu hits career-high T20I ratings in all 3 categories at Women's Asia Cup
Synopsis
Chamari Athapaththu has done something no ranking update can fully capture — she has hit career-best figures in batting, bowling, and all-round categories simultaneously, all while leading Sri Lanka's Asia Cup title defence. At 734 batter points, 552 bowler points, and 405 all-rounder points, she is peaking at exactly the right moment.
Key Takeaways
Chamari Athapaththu reached career-best ICC Women's T20I ratings in all three categories: 734 (batting), 552 (bowling), 405 (all-rounders).
She scored an unbeaten 48 off 25 balls and took 1 wicket for 10 runs as Sri Lanka beat UAE by nine wickets .
Opening partner Imesha Dulani rose to a career-high 18th among T20I batters with 625 points .
Mithali Ayodhya's three for 14 lifted her 18 places to 70th among bowlers — also a career best.
India seamer Nandani Sharma was the tournament's biggest single-match mover, jumping 38 places to 112th .
Romania's Rebecca Blake now holds a T20I batting average of 153.00 from 20 matches after the Continental Cup.
Chamari Athapaththu has scaled career-best rating points across all three categories of the ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings following a match-winning all-round display that helped Sri Lanka open their Women's Asia Cup title defence with a dominant nine-wicket victory over the UAE in Dubai.
Athapaththu's Historic All-Round Showing
The Sri Lanka captain anchored the chase with an unbeaten 48 off 25 balls, then returned to claim one wicket for 10 runs in three overs — a complete contribution that has driven her to career-best figures of 734 rating points among batters, 552 among bowlers, and 405 in the all-rounders' list. She remains sixth in the T20I batting rankings, has climbed three places to 33rd in bowling, and holds third position among all-rounders. Notably, this peak comes on the back of a productive ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign earlier this year, during which she accumulated 172 runs and took three wickets.
Sri Lanka's Broader Gains
Athapaththu's opening partner Imesha Dulani rose four places to a career-high 18th position with 625 rating points after scoring 25 off 18 deliveries against the UAE. Harshita Samarawickrama moved up one place to 23rd among batters. Sri Lanka's bowlers also advanced: Mithali Ayodhya, whose three for 14 helped restrict the UAE to 79, jumped 18 places to 70th with a career-best 444 points. Left-arm spinner Sugandika Kumari moved five places to 23rd after returning figures of two for 18.
Movers From Other Asia Cup Teams
Thailand's Nannapat Koncharoenkai climbed one place to 29th among batters after making 41 off 48 against India, while Suleeporn Laomi rose five positions to joint-63rd among bowlers following her three for 26. Bangladesh's 71-run win over Indonesia also produced ranking movement: Sobhana Mostary advanced one place to 39th with a career-best 500 points, and pacer Marufa Akter rose two spots to 37th after taking two wickets for six runs in three overs. India seamer Nandani Sharma was the biggest single-match mover, jumping 38 places to 112th after claiming three for 18 against Thailand.
Associate Nations Make Their Mark
The latest update also highlighted strong performances from Associate nations. Isle of Man batter Lucy Barnett climbed to joint-67th after finishing as the leading run-scorer in the Continental Cup in Romania with 257 runs. Romania's Rebecca Blake moved to joint-89th after scoring 197 runs without being dismissed during the tournament, giving her a remarkable T20I batting average of 153.00 from 20 matches.
What This Means for Sri Lanka's Title Campaign
For Sri Lanka, the rankings surge is more than a statistical milestone — it reflects a squad firing on multiple fronts at the start of their Asia Cup defence. With Athapaththu at her career peak across batting, bowling, and all-round metrics simultaneously, the defending champions look well-placed as the tournament progresses.
Point of View
Bowling, and all-rounder rankings simultaneously is exceptionally rare and underlines why Athapaththu remains the most complete player in women's T20 cricket outside the top-tier Test nations. What the numbers also reveal is Sri Lanka's structural dependence on her: when she fires, the whole team moves up the rankings. The Asia Cup title defence will test whether that depth holds when conditions or opposition are less forgiving than a UAE bowling attack. The rise of Dulani and Ayodhya in this single game is an encouraging signal, but the pattern of Sri Lanka peaking around Athapaththu — rather than independently of her — is one the selectors will need to address if they are serious about sustained dominance.
NationPress
1 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What career-best ICC rankings did Chamari Athapaththu reach?
Athapaththu reached career-best rating points in all three ICC Women's T20I categories: 734 among batters (6th overall), 552 among bowlers (33rd), and 405 among all-rounders (3rd). The milestone came after her all-round performance against the UAE in the Women's Asia Cup opener in Dubai.
How did Sri Lanka perform in their Women's Asia Cup opener?
Sri Lanka defeated the UAE by nine wickets in their Women's Asia Cup title defence opener. Athapaththu scored an unbeaten 48 off 25 balls, while Mithali Ayodhya's three for 14 restricted the UAE to 79.
Which other players made significant ranking gains at the Women's Asia Cup?
Imesha Dulani rose four places to a career-high 18th among batters, Mithali Ayodhya jumped 18 places to 70th among bowlers, and India's Nandani Sharma was the tournament's biggest mover, climbing 38 places to 112th after taking three for 18 against Thailand.
Who is Rebecca Blake and why is her ranking notable?
Rebecca Blake is a Romania batter who moved to joint-89th in the ICC Women's T20I rankings after scoring 197 runs without being dismissed in the Continental Cup. She now holds a T20I batting average of 153.00 from 20 matches — one of the highest averages in the format.
How has Athapaththu performed in recent ICC tournaments?
Ahead of the Asia Cup, Athapaththu had a productive ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign earlier in 2024, accumulating 172 runs and taking three wickets for Sri Lanka. Her Asia Cup all-round display against the UAE has now pushed her to the highest rating points of her career across all three disciplines.
