Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu etched her name into the record books on Tuesday after becoming the first player to score a century while chasing in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
The 36-year-old opener remained unbeaten on 106 off 61 balls as Sri Lanka defeated Ireland by nine wickets in their Group B clash at the County Ground in Bristol.
Athapaththu's innings, which included 17 fours and two sixes, guided Sri Lanka to the 131-run target with ease and kept their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive.
In the process, she broke the record for the highest individual score in a successful run chase in Women's T20 World Cup history.
The previous record belonged to West Indies batter Shemaine Campbelle, who scored an unbeaten 90 against
New Zealand earlier in the ongoing tournament. South Africa's Marizanne Kapp is third on the list after her unbeaten 81 against India on June 21.
Highest scores in successful Women's T20 World Cup run chases
| Player | Team | Score | Against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka | 106* | Ireland |
| Shemaine Campbelle | West Indies | 90* | New Zealand |
| Marizanne Kapp | South Africa | 81* | India |
| Sarah Taylor | England | 76* | Australia |
| Sophie Devine | New Zealand | 75* | Sri Lanka |
Athapaththu laid the foundation for the chase with a 98-run opening partnership alongside Imesha Dulani, who contributed 20 runs from 27 deliveries.
The century was Athapaththu's fourth in Women's T20 Internationals, taking her clear of every Full Member nation batter except UAE's Esha Oza, who leads the all-time list with five hundreds.
Most centuries in Women's T20Is
| Player | Team | Hundreds |
|---|---|---|
| Esha Oza | UAE | 5 |
| Chamari Athapaththu | Sri Lanka | 4 |
| Rebecca Blake | Romania | 3 |
| Fatuma Kibasu | Tanzania | 3 |
| Hayley Matthews | West Indies | 3 |
| Laura Wolvaardt | South Africa | 3 |
| Danni Wyatt-Hodge | England | 3 |
Athapaththu also became the first Sri Lankan batter and only the eighth player overall to score a century in Women's T20 World Cup history.
The record for the highest individual score in the tournament remains with former Australia captain Meg Lanning, who blasted 126 off 65 balls against Ireland during the 2014 edition in Sylhet.
Sri Lanka's victory leaves them firmly in contention in Group B, with Athapaththu once again proving decisive on the biggest stage.
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