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ICC WOMEN'S WORLD T20November 9, 2018Chamari AthapaththuGros Islet, Saint Lucia Q. It's fair to say it's been quite a tough year for Sri Lanka. What are your ambitions for this tournament, what counts as success in this tournament? CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU: After all we try to win every match, and this is our target. But every match is very important. So match by match we try to win. We all know our potential. We have a good team. But last couple of years we struggled a bit more. So now we have a new coach. We'll practise hard, work hard with our batting and bowling and fielding. We try to play and we have to play to our potential and we try to win match by match. Q. What's the general mood in the Sri Lankan camp right now? The general mood, how do you feel coming into this competition, how do you feel about this group, you have West Indies and the England in your group? How do you generally feel about the post match? CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU: Every team has a chance to win the match. I think the ranking is just a number, but if any team playing good cricket that day, that team will win. So I think this group is really good because last T20 World Cup we beat South Africa and Ireland. Both teams in our group, if we can beat both teams and if we can beat another team, we have a chance to go to the semifinals. That's our target. I think this group is really good than another group because the whole team, in this group, we beat sometimes. So that is a good, positive thing for our side. We try to play good cricket this World Cup. Q. In terms of the conditions, the West Indies, how much research, how much information have you guys gathered about the playing conditions? And how do you feel about the conditions in the West Indies? CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU: Actually, we played last year three ODIs and five T20s in the West Indies. The time it was a bit slow and low. But now we're playing in T20 World Cup. I accept this condition is really good for T20s, and I accept this condition is really good for batting, because we know all the spectators come to see the matches because of the batsman hit. So I accept this condition really good for batting. So I think 140s, 150s could possibly win the match. Q. Well, you've got a big hundred in your World Cup, and we just saw the Indian captain make a hundred. And they got maybe 200 against New Zealand. So sort of the rules have been set for the tournament. Are you thinking 100 for yourself and 180-plus for Sri Lanka overall? CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU: Yeah, I have faith in my team and they do me. So that is my responsibility as a captain. So I just play out my normal game. I don't think I must need to score 100 or 70 or like that. I just play my normal game, my natural game. At the end of the day we can see what I can do. I just play my normal game. I saw how many score. 100 is really good. Actually, that is really good for women's cricket because all the spectators watching the match, that is good improvement in women's cricket and I can only dream of making 100 in this tournament. Q. You had an event with the children. Recently you had an event with children in Antigua. Talk to us about that, mothers and daughters cricket programme. What was it like interacting with some of those children? CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU: Actually, part of that programme, the children, that's really good. And children is next generation. So they have good environment to stay. So as a player, I think we must protect our children because they are our future in the country, any place, children is our main thing. Q. Looking forward now to tomorrow's game it's a bit wet. The covers are on the on the field, I don't think you'll get much training today. Will you prepare possibly for Duckworth-Lewis tomorrow? These things will come into consideration when you meet with your players for the team meeting? CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU: Hopefully I think it is a little bit good tomorrow. Actually, I tried to play a full match. It's good for both teams and the spectators. But let's see around this -- so, the ground is a bit wet. When the rain comes we adapt to that. We talk about those type of things in the team meeting and also training about that type of things. Q. And test match is finished. England beat Sri Lanka. So you need to do something about that tomorrow. Is that something you thought about, that you need to turn the tables on England and get one back for the men's team? CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU: Yeah, we lost this match. As a country, it's not a good thing as a country. So we try to play our good cricket against England because 2013, the World Cup, the first match we played against England, we beat England the very first time. I think if we played our best cricket tomorrow, we have a chance of winning the match, because my gut feeling is ranking and the name of countries is just a number. Q. And 2010 was the first time the Caribbean hosted the Women's World T20. That was alongside the men. Now it's time for the women to stand alone and shine. I guess from your point of view how do you see a stand-alone Women's World T20? CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU: I played all T20s 2009, 2010, every T20 World Cup the last couple of years. I feel every time we play in men's and women's World Cup together, that this time women's, that is very good because all the spectators, people, everyone watch the match. They are only watching women's game. So that's a good thing. I think this is really good decision of the ICC and I'm very happy about the support and this environment because, you know, the people are very funny and I enjoy the people in the countries. So I think we can play good cricket and entertain the crowd, yes. Q. The last time that you faced England in the first match of the World Cup in 2013 it was a big upset and you won. What were your memories of that match, and how are you taking those feelings into tomorrow's match? CHAMARI ATHAPATHTHU: Actually, that game is my lifetime memory, lifetime memory. Because that is my first World Cup. And first World Cup match against England I scored 69 runs, but I got out. But first opening partnership of I think 133. So it's a good memory. Try to repeat that memory again. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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