WCPL: Trinbago Knight Riders sign Sri Lanka's Harshitha Samarawickrama as injured Meg Lanning's replacement

New Delhi [India], August 22 (ANI): Sri Lanka batter Harshitha Samarawickrama replaced injured Australia star Meg Lanning at Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Women's Caribbean Premier League 2024. The left-handed batter will link up with overseas players Shikha Pandey, Jemimah Rodrigues and Jess Jonassen at TKR. Samarawickrama is just the second Sri Lanka woman cricketer to feature in an overseas league after captain Chamari Athapaththu.

Samarawickrama has been setting new heights with her recent performances. She started for Sri Lanka in the final of the Women's Asia Cup with a sensational knock of 69*(51). Her splendid efforts with the bat helped the Sri Lanka women's team to lift their maiden Asia Cup title. In the recently concluded T20I series against Ireland, Samarawickrama struck back-to-back fifties in the two games.

She continued her red-hot form and became just the third Sri Lanka woman player to score a century in an ODI. Overall, in the shortest format of cricket, Samarawickrama boasts 1463 runs in 65 T20Is at a strike rate of 99.72. Lanning was seen in on-field action in The Hundred earlier this month for London Spirit. Despite her lean patch of form, London Spirit lifted the title. The 32-year-old put 170 runs on the board in ten innings at a strike rate of 125.

While Samarawickrama is set to feature in the WCPL, Athapaththu will look to leave a long-lasting impression in the Women's Big Bash League. Last week, the Sydney Thunder franchise secured Athapaththu's services for the next three seasons. Athapaththu featured for the Thunder as an undrafted signing last season. She starred for the Thunder during their fourth-place finish. Athapaththu racked up 552 runs at an average of 42.46. She even chipped in with the ball and scythed nine wickets in the campaign.

"Committing to Sydney Thunder for the next three seasons was an easy decision because I believe in the vision of this club, and I want to be part of its future success," Athapaththu said in a statement released by the franchise. (ANI)