Chamari Athapaththu Climbs ICC Rankings Ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

Athapaththu's Impressive Rise in Rankings

Dubai [UAE], May 5: Chamari Athapaththu, the captain of Sri Lanka, has made remarkable progress in the latest ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings, showcasing her excellent form just weeks before the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The 36-year-old played a crucial role in leading Sri Lanka to a commanding 3-0 series victory against Bangladesh, where she was named Player of the Series after scoring 115 runs in three matches and taking four wickets. This outstanding all-round performance has seen her rise three positions to 41st in the T20I bowling rankings and two spots to third in the all-rounders' category.

As per the ICC, Athapaththu has surpassed India’s Deepti Sharma and Australia’s Ash Gardner in the all-rounder rankings, with only New Zealand’s Amelia Kerr and West Indies captain Hayley Matthews ahead of her.

Sri Lanka's success was not confined to their captain alone. Harshita Samarawickrama moved up five places to share 20th in the T20I batting rankings, while Imesha Dulani made a significant leap of 23 spots to 49th. In the bowling rankings, Kavisha Dilhari climbed to 17th, and Malki Madara advanced 11 places to 44th.

Despite the series loss, Bangladesh also experienced positive individual advancements. Sharmin Akhter Supta rose to 37th, Dilara Akter reached 55th, and Shorna Akter climbed to joint 62nd in the batting rankings. The most notable improvement came from Sultana Khatun, who surged 48 places to 38th among T20I bowlers.

In other news, updates in the ODI rankings followed Pakistan's impressive 168-run win over Zimbabwe in Karachi. Sidra Amin climbed to 11th among batters, while Sadaf Shamas jumped 12 spots to 72nd after scoring 98 runs.

In the bowling rankings, Nashra Sandhu moved up to 11th, while captain Fatima Sana improved to joint 26th and 15th in the all-rounders' rankings.

The T20 World Cup is set to commence on June 12.