Athapaththu claims top billing from Australia opener Beth Mooney on the back of her excellent series against New Zealand that netted a total of 248 runs from three matches and included an amazing knock of 140* from just 80 deliveries that helped her side record an unlikely series triumph.
It was the first time that Sri Lanka had beaten New Zealand in a bilateral women's ODI series and it was on the back of a mountain of runs from their inspirational skipper in Athapaththu.
The 33-year-old hit an unbeaten 108* in the opening match of the three-game series and a first-ball duck in the second clash did little to temper the aggression of the confident left-hander heading into the series decider.
Athapaththu smashed nine massive sixes during her quickfire knock, combining with teammate Nilakshi de Silva to record Sri Lanka's highest ever partnership in women's ODIs when putting on 190 runs for the third wicket.
It helped Athapaththu become the first Sri Lankan women to top the women's ODI rankings, joining male compatriot Sanath Jayasuriya as the only two players from the island nation to have held the No.1 spot in the history of the ODI rankings.
Source: www.icc-cricket.com
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