Six-time champion Australia opened its campaign in the ongoing ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 on Saturday (October 5). In the match played against Sri Lanka in Sharjah, the Southern Stars restricted them to 93 for 7 in 20 overs and then chased down the 94-run target for the loss of four wickets in 14.2 overs. For Aussies, pacer Megan Schutt picked up three wickets, and two Sri Lankan batters were sent back to the pavilion by Sophie Molineux.
Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu opted to bat first, and there were high expectations from her, but she could only manage to score three runs from 12 balls. She was trapped in front of the wickets by Ashleigh Gardner on the second ball of the fourth over. Athapaththu’s Australian counterpart Alyssa Healy played a big role in her dismissal, as he sledged her by asking her to play a shot, and it broke her concentration and resulted in the dismissal.
In a video shared by the ICC from its official Instagram handle on Sunday, Healy, who is a wicketkeeper-batter for Australia, can be heard saying, “Play a shot, Chamari,” after she defended the first ball of Gardner’s second over of the match. The left-handed batter replied with a smile but went on to play a sweep shot on the next ball and missed it completely.
She was found in front of the wickets and was declared out. ICC shared the video with the caption “That’s Alyssa Healy’s wicket,” and within no time the clip went viral on the internet.
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Chamari is one of the best batters of present times. She played a big role in helping Sri Lanka win the 2024 edition of the Asia Cup by getting the better of India in the final earlier this year.
The defeat against Australia on Saturday was Sri Lanka’s second loss in as many matches played so far in the T20 World Cup 2024. The Islanders, which lost the first match by 31 runs against Pakistan on Thursday (October 3) will next be seen in action on Wednesday (October 9) against India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai.
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