Chamari Atapattu 178* (143 balls, 22 fours, six sixes)
Sri Lanka v Australia
Bristol County Ground
Women’s World Cup 2017, 8th match
June 29, 2017

The innings

In and of themselves, the numbers are staggering. Chamari Atapattu’s 178* represented 69 per cent of Sri Lanka’s runs, by seven points the highest in women’s ODIs, and a smidge off Viv’s overall record, and 77 runs came off Atapattu’s last 36 balls as she surged to the third highest score in women’s ODIs.

Sri Lanka were 77-4, then 130-6, had a second highest score of 24, and somehow managed to set the best team on the planet a world-record chase. Single-handed efforts don’t get any more scintillating.

In a way, it mattered little. Such was the domineering nature of the Aussie batting line-up, it would have taken an Atapattu-like effort for Sri Lanka to cause an upset, and a career-best for Meg Lanning guided the favourites to a comfortable win.

But in another, it couldn’t have meant more. For Atapattu, who dedicated the knock to her late father and professed it the best day in her life. For Sri Lanka, so often just making up the numbers and finally with a performance and a player to cling to. And, perhaps, for England and India, who realised that these Southern Stars were human after all, laying the stage for the greatest finish Lord’s had ever seen.

The shot

48.1 Ellyse Perry to Chamari Atapattu, four runs

By this point Atapattu is still as the bowler runs in, not needing to move around to create an angle or anchor a base to generate power, but in that rare space where she can simply trust her eye, her hands, and her strength to do the work, and react to whatever comes down.

The bowler on this occasion is Ellyse Perry, the best cricketer there’s been and one of the paciest quicks going, and she digs one in halfway down, only to have it forehanded straight back over her head before it scuttles into the rope. Utterly dismissive.