Sri Lanka women’s cricket team captain Chamari Athapaththu entered her name in the history books on Wednesday (September 2) by becoming the first player to take seven wickets in an Asia Cup match (men’s and women’s combined).
Athapaththu bowled 3.3 overs for Sri Lanka on Wednesday in their Group B match against Indonesia at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and picked up seven wickets for just five runs.
The previous record for the best bowling figures in an Asia Cup match was held by Pakistan’s Javeria Khan. Javeria accounted for the dismissals of six Bangladeshi batters in a 2008 Women’s Asia Cup match in Dambulla.
Best bowling figures in Asia Cup (men’s and women’s combined across formats)
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | OVERS | RUNS | WICKETS | AGAINST | FORMAT | VENUE | DATE |
| Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka | 3.3 | 5 | 7 | Indonesia | Women’s T20Is | Dubai | September 2, 2026 |
| Javeria Khan | Pakistan | 8.1 | 8 | 6 | Bangladesh | Women’s ODIs | Dambulla | May 8, 2008 |
| Mamatha Maben | India | 6.2 | 10 | 6 | Sri Lanka | Women’s ODIs | Kandy | April 25, 2004 |
| Ajantha Mendis | Sri Lanka | 8 | 13 | 6 | India | ODIs | Karachi | July 6, 2008 |
| Mohammed Siraj | India | 7 | 21 | 6 | Sri Lanka | ODIs | Colombo (RPS) | September 17, 2023 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | India | 4 | 4 | 5 | Afghanistan | T20Is | Dubai | September 8, 2022 |
| Marina Iqbal | Pakistan | 3 | 10 | 5 | Thailand | Women’s T20Is | Guangzhou | October 24, 2012 |
| Wongpaka Liengprasert | Thailand | 4 | 12 | 5 | Sri Lanka | Women’s T20Is | Kuala Lumpur | June 9, 2018 |
| Omaima Sohail | Pakistan | 4 | 13 | 5 | Sri Lanka | Women’s T20Is | Sylhet | October 11, 2022 |
| Seema Pujare | India | 8.2 | 17 | 5 | Bangladesh | Women’s ODIs | Kurunegala | May 2, 2008 |
Athapaththu is also the first player to take six
or more wickets in an Asia Cup T20I match (men’s and women’s combined).
Before her, three Pakistani and one Thailand bowler had managed to dismiss five batters in a match in the women’s tournament, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar of India is the only bowler to take a five-wicket haul in the men’s T20I edition of the Asia Cup.
Best bowling figures in T20 format of Women’s Asia Cup
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | OVERS | RUNS | WICKETS | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka | 3.3 | 5 | 7 | Indonesia | Dubai | September 2, 2026 |
| Marina Iqbal | Pakistan | 3 | 10 | 5 | Thailand | Guangzhou | October 24, 2012 |
| Wongpaka Liengprasert | Thailand | 4 | 12 | 5 | Sri Lanka | Kuala Lumpur | June 9, 2018 |
| Omaima Sohail | Pakistan | 4 | 13 | 5 | Sri Lanka | Sylhet | October 11, 2022 |
| Nida Dar | Pakistan | 4 | 21 | 5 | Sri Lanka | Kuala Lumpur | June 6, 2018 |
Athapaththu’s figures of 7 for 5 also helped her break the record for the best bowling figures in T20Is by a Sri Lankan player (men’s and women’s combined).
Best bowling figures for Sri Lanka in T20Is (men’s and women’s combined)
| PLAYER | OVERS | RUNS | WICKETS | CATEGORY | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| Chamari Athapaththu | 3.3 | 5 | 7 | Women’s | Indonesia | Dubai | September 2, 2026 |
| Ajantha Mendis | 4.0 | 8 | 6 | Men’s | Zimbabwe | Hambantota | September 18, 2012 |
| Ajantha Mendis | 4.0 | 16 | 6 | Men’s | Australia | Pallekele | August 8, 2011 |
| Rangana Herath | 3.3 | 3 | 5 | Men’s | New Zealand | Chattogram | March 31, 2014 |
| Lasith Malinga | 4.0 | 6 | 5 | Men’s | New Zealand | Pallekele | September 6, 2019 |
Athapaththu’s superb bowling performance helped Sri Lanka bowl Indonesia out for just 49 runs while defending a target of 125. Sri Lanka secured a big 75-run win to almost confirm their place in the semi-finals of the ongoing eight-team tournament in the United Arab Emirates.
Athapaththu is only the second captain in the world, after Alison Stocks of Argentina, to take seven wickets in a T20I match. Stocks finished with figures of 7 for 3 in 3.4 overs against Peru in Seropedica on October 14, 2022.
