Seven wickets in 21 balls: Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapathu writes history with record spell | Cricket news

Defending champions Sri Lanka moved to the top of Group B in the Women’s Asia Cup after beating Indonesia by 75 runs in Dubai on Thursday, thanks to skipper Chamari Athapathu’s record seven-wicket haul and Nilakshika Silva’s half-century.Sri Lanka were defending a modest target of 125 on a slow-paced pitch, but Athapathu turned the match around with one of the best bowling performances in women’s T20 internationals.She came in to play fourth and hit her fourth, seventh and eighth. Although she missed a hat-trick at the time, she later completed it by taking three wickets in three balls over two overs.Athapaththu finished with 7/5 in 21 balls, becoming the first bowler from a full-fledged country to take seven wickets in a women’s T20I. The previous best figures in women’s T20Is belong to Zimbabwe’s Esther Mbofana, who took 11/6 against Eswatini in 2021.Indonesia were bowled out for 49. Rahmawati Pangestuti scored 10, while Ni Madi Putri Suwandiwi remained unbeaten with 12. No other Indonesian batsman reached double figures.Earlier, Sri Lanka were in trouble at 62/6 before Nilakshika Silva scored 50 off 35 balls to take them to 124/7.For Indonesia, Ni Luh Dewi was the pick of the bowlers with 3/32.The win took Sri Lanka to the top of Group B of the Women’s Asia Cup.In the first group, India maintained its top spot, while Pakistan came in second place.Meanwhile, Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana also created history during India’s Group A match against Hong Kong in Dubai. The 30-year-old has overtaken Mithali Raj to become the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket across all formats.