They are not playing the game for Money

My mum and dad weren't even knowing each others when Sri Lanka men's team was recording their first ever win in an ODI in 1979. I started to follow cricket even before I went to school, that's around 1995. Sri Lanka winning the 1996 World Cup is the oldest clear memory I have. I wasn't born in 80s to see the rise of Sri Lanka men's cricket team.

But this Sri Lanka women's team helps me to imagine it looked like. How Sri Lankans at that time felt after winning. How proud they were of their team on beating a powerhouse in cricket world. History repeats itself.

Eshani Kaushalya is the new superstar in Sri Lanka's cricket world. Chamari Atapattu is the new aggressive opening batter. Shashikala Siriwardena is the new captain cool. Sri Lanka women cricketers are the new heroes for Sri Lankans.

Nobody expected performances like this from them in this world cup.

Until they came into the world cup 2013, they have never won a game against any giants like England, Australia, New Zealand or India. But so far in this world cup campaign, they were able to beat two of them. They started with England, power house in their sport.

Then India, under flood lights. Remarkably this match was their first ever match under flood lights. Sri Lanka have 4 International grounds with flood lights. That shows how much the SLC cares about their women cricketers.

It was a must win game for both teams. Winner will go through to Super Six and other team has to stay ahead of West Indies's net run rate to qualify.

Certainly the toss have played a huge part in the result. Yet, they had to score 270+ to put pressure on a strong opponent like India, on this flat Mumbai wicket.

And Sri Lanka did that. More importantly even after their star batter, Atapattu getting out cheaply in the first over. Non of the other top order players are gifted as Atapattu. But they hanged in there. They were determined to play long innings.

Especially after the nightmare against West Indies. Surely they must have been over the moon after the win against England. In the next match, West Indians just blown them away. Probably that brought them back to earth.

After Atapattu's dismissal, the team coach and manager took a radical decision to sent Deepika Rasangika at 3, in previous two matches she batter at 8 and 9. But that decision paid off. Deepika Rasangika scored 84 runs and adjudged player of the match. She wasn't just hanging there, she score at a good strike rate with opener Avanthika Mendis.

They were able to build a hundred run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Highest ever 2nd wicket partnership for Sri Lanka women's cricket. What an occasion to do it.

Then the skipper Shashikala came in and scored 59 runs even before you realize it. And Kaushalya finished the innings scoring 56 not out at a strike rate of 180.64, I think, this must be how Sri Lankans in 34 years ago have felt about Duleep Mendis's innings in Sri Lanka's first ever ODI win. What a turn around this has been for her. Until she came to India, she had 2 sixes in 47 ODIs with an average of 15 runs.

Then again with the ball Kaushalya got the early break through. Each an every 7 bowlers Shashikala has used were able to pick up at least a wicket. India couldn't qualify for the 2nd round in their own world cup. What a PROFESSIONAL performance by Sri Lankan girls. Now they are the only sub continental team to qualify for Super Six.

Sri Lanka government's decision to move women’s cricketers into the armed forces has paid off. Now they can concentrate their whole time for cricket than working for their lives. These girls are not playing the game for money or anything else. They are not getting a huge match fee compared to men's teams. They play the game just because they LOVE THE GAME.

That is exactly how Sri Lanka men's cricket team was in pre-1996 era. These girls may not win any more matches in this world cup. But they have done enough to surprise the whole world. These 2 wins may attract more girls in Sri Lanka to play cricket. That will be the foundation to win a world cup in another 10 years.