Two weeks out from the player draft of the 10th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League, Sydney Thunder have secured the services of Chamari Athapaththu in a three-year deal.
Unlike previous seasons, where the WBBL overseas recruits were contracted on a one-season basis, the Sri Lankan all-rounder has signed under the WBBL’s new multi-year contract provision that enables each of the eight clubs to sign one foreign player for up to three years outside of the season’s player draft.
Athapaththu has committed her availability for the entirety of the league for the next three years, including the upcoming edition which kicks off October 27.
“Committing to Sydney Thunder for the next three seasons was an easy decision because I believe in the vision of this club, and I want to be part of its future success,” said Athapaththu, who is currently plying her trade for the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred.
“There’s so much to love about my Sydney Thunder family. My teammates are not just colleagues; they are friends who push each other to be better every day, [which] is important to me… It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m so excited for what’s ahead.”
The WBBL Player of the Tournament 2023-24, Athapaththu was incidentally snubbed at the first-ever overseas draft last year before being signed on later by Thunder. Once in as a replacement, the Sri Lankan captain, who was representing her third different franchise after Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Renegades, took the competition by storm as she racked up 552 runs – second only behind Beth Mooney’s tally of 557 – at 42.46 and a strike-rate of 127.18 along with 9 wickets at 6.83 economy rate. She also won the Thunder’s WBBL Player of the Season award, the Alex Blackwell medal.
Occupying the no. 6 and no.5 spot in ICC’s T20I batters’ and allrounders’ rankings respectively, Athapaththu recently led Sri Lanka to their maiden Women’s Asia Cup T20 win at home in Dambulla last month, against seven-time champions and defending champions India. The 34-year-old led from the front, topping the charts with 304 runs at a staggering average of 101.33 which included a career-best 119 not out.
Athapaththu’s strike rate of 146.85 was second only to Richa Ghosh’s 217.39 among batters who scored at 100 runs in the tournament, while her tally of sixes – 15 – was practically unmatched as the next best was Shafali Verma’s three.
Since the conclusion of the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, Athapaththu is the leading scorer in the format with her 1027 runs coming at an average of 41.08, including two hundreds and six fifties.
“It’s incredibly exciting to have Chamari return to the Thunder and be available for the entire WBBL 2024 tournament,” Thunder GM Trent Copeland said. “We know other teams were interested in signing her, but we made every effort to ensure she came back.
“Chamari is obviously an exceptional cricket player, but she is also an exceptional human being who is team first and fan first… We are looking forward to Chamari returning and bringing our fans so much joy, particularly our multicultural fans that got behind her in such numbers last season.”
Sydney Thunder current squad: Chamari Athapaththu (International), Samantha Bates, Hannah Darlington, Saskia Horley, Anika Learoyd, Phoebe Litchfield, Claire Moore, Taneale Peschel, Georgia Voll, Tahlia Wilson
Source: Cricbuzz
