Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu said she felt like a “failure as a captain” after her side’s defeat to the West Indies in Bristol left them fifth among the six teams in Group 2 and facing an uphill task to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s T20 World Cup.Athapaththu scored just two runs as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 98. West Indies reached the target with five wickets in hand and 23 balls remaining. Sri Lanka won only one of their three matches and with England and the West Indies winning all three, Sri Lanka’s chances of promotion became difficult.Sri Lanka also hurt their own chances with goals, lost catches and fielding errors. The 23 extras they allowed were the second highest contribution to West Indies’ total.“Actually, it’s an indescribable sadness,” she said after the loss to Athapaththa, who is playing in her 10th T20 World Cup. “I think I played about 18 years for the national team and I could never get the chance to take my team to the semi-finals of the World Cup.”“Even though I’ve achieved many things personally, I think I’m a failure as a captain, because I think it’s a big pain for a player. Actually, I have to deal with that pain now.”“I think I did my best, I think I should have played more responsible than this and if I had played more responsible than this today, we could have won this game today. So, I regret that. I especially don’t like to blame anyone and I think I have more responsibility as a player, as a team captain and as a player with more experience,” said an emotional Athapaththu after the loss against the West Indies.“So I’m very sad, I feel like I’ve lost my last chance.”Athapaththu is 36 years old and has featured in every Women’s T20 World Cup so far. The next edition is scheduled to take place in Pakistan in 2028. Asked if she could see herself at that tournament, she said: “For now, I can’t give any explanation about that, because with my age, I’m 36 now.“So in terms of fitness and everything, that’s decided. So I’m doing my best to keep my fitness at a good level and my skills at a high level.“If the team wants, I will play in the future, but my performance level and fitness level will decide whether I play or not.”Sri Lanka’s remaining games in Group 2 are against Ireland in Bristol on June 23 and Scotland in Manchester on June 26.
