Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu produced one of the most remarkable bowling performances in women’s international cricket during the Women’s Asia Cup 2026 match against Indonesia in Dubai. The experienced all rounder returned figures of seven wickets for just five runs from 3.3 overs, helping Sri Lanka bowl Indonesia out for 49 and secure a 75 run victory.
Athapaththu’s performance created several records. Her seven wicket haul is the best bowling performance in the history of the Women’s Asia Cup. She also became the first player from an ICC Full Member nation to claim seven wickets in a women’s T20 international. The performance was particularly significant because it came in a major continental tournament and included a hat trick.
Sri Lanka entered the match as the defending champions and were looking to maintain their strong start to the tournament. However, their own batting innings did not begin smoothly. After being asked to bat first, Sri Lanka struggled against the Indonesian bowling attack and lost wickets at regular intervals.
Sri Lanka were reduced to 62 for six during their innings, leaving the defending champions under considerable pressure. Nilakshika Silva then played an important role in rebuilding the innings. She scored a valuable 50 from 35 deliveries and helped Sri Lanka recover from the difficult position.
Her contribution allowed Sri Lanka to finish their 20 overs at 124 for seven. While the total was not particularly imposing, it gave their bowlers a target to defend. The Sri Lankan bowling attack then produced a dominant response, led by their captain.
Athapaththu entered the attack and immediately put Indonesia under pressure. Her accuracy and ability to find wickets at regular intervals prevented Indonesia from building a partnership. The Indonesian batting order struggled to deal with the Sri Lankan captain, who continued to take wickets throughout her short spell.
The decisive moment came in the final stages of the Indonesian innings when Athapaththu completed her hat trick. Her seven wickets accounted for a major part of Indonesia’s collapse, while the remaining Sri Lankan bowlers supported her by maintaining pressure from the other end.
Indonesia were eventually dismissed for 49 in 18.3 overs. Only a small number of Indonesian batters managed to reach double figures, as the Sri Lankan attack consistently found breakthroughs. The result gave Sri Lanka a comfortable 75 run victory.
Athapaththu’s figures of seven wickets for five runs also marked the best bowling performance recorded in the Women’s Asia Cup. Before this match, Thailand’s Wongpaka Liengprasert held the tournament record with figures of five wickets for 12 runs against Malaysia in the 2018 edition. Athapaththu went past that mark with a significantly more economical spell in Dubai.
The performance was also notable because Athapaththu became the first Sri Lankan woman to take a hat trick in a women’s T20 international, according to reports. She joined a small group of Sri Lankan bowlers to have achieved an international hat trick, further adding to the significance of the match.
For Athapaththu, the achievement adds another major milestone to an already distinguished international career. She has been one of Sri Lanka’s most important players across formats and has served as a key figure in the development and success of the women’s national team. Her contribution is not limited to batting, as her all round ability has repeatedly provided Sri Lanka with additional options.
The victory was particularly important for Sri Lanka’s campaign in the 2026 Women’s Asia Cup. The defending champions have made a strong start to their title defence and recorded their second consecutive win of the tournament. Sri Lanka’s performance against Indonesia demonstrated the team’s ability to recover from a difficult batting situation and produce a strong result through its bowling attack.
Athapaththu’s record spell also highlights the growing depth and quality of women’s T20 cricket. Seven wicket hauls are rare in the shortest international format because bowlers have limited opportunities to complete long spells. Taking seven wickets while conceding only five runs therefore represents an exceptional level of control and efficiency.
The match also showed how a modest first innings total can still be enough when a bowling attack performs at a high level. Sri Lanka initially appeared vulnerable after losing six wickets for 62 runs, but Silva’s half century gave the team a defendable total. Athapaththu then transformed that total into a comfortable victory with her record spell.
With the Asia Cup continuing, Sri Lanka will look to build on this momentum in the remaining group matches. Athapaththu’s performance has already become one of the defining moments of the tournament, while her seven wicket haul is likely to remain one of the standout individual bowling displays of the competition.
Sri Lanka’s 75 run victory over Indonesia therefore had significance beyond the result. It combined a crucial recovery with the bat, a dominant bowling display and a historic individual achievement from the team captain. Athapaththu’s figures of seven for five, together with her hat trick, have placed her name prominently in the record books of the Women’s Asia Cup and women’s T20 international cricket.