The amount of respect and admiration that Chamari Atapattu commands in England is quite remarkable. In this part of the world, women’s cricket is firmly established, with schools embracing the sport wholeheartedly. In Sri Lanka, however, netball and basketball continue to dominate girls’ schools, a far cry from the passion for cricket seen in boys’ schools.

The other reason England admire the Sri Lankan skipper so much is that she has been a thorn in their flesh for years.

England captain Natalie Sciver-Brunt summed it up perfectly when she spoke about her opposite number.

“Chamari has been an absolute role model for the game and an opponent who has given us such hard times. There have been so many games she has won single-handedly for her side. We spend a lot of time in team meetings discussing how to dismiss Chamari,” Sciver-Brunt said.

This is the tenth edition of the Women’s World Cup and a little known fact is that Chamari has featured in every single one of them. Her debut came in the inaugural tournament in 2009 at Taunton and since then she has travelled the globe carrying Sri Lanka’s hopes on her shoulders.

Thanks largely to Chamari’s exploits, Sri Lanka are ranked sixth in T20Is and her dream remains to take the team to the semi-finals of a global event.

“When I started with the Sri Lankan team it was so different. We didn’t have a sponsor. Our games weren’t televised. Nobody bothered about us. But these days sponsors are lining up. Every game we play is watched around the globe, Sri Lankans around the world send us goodwill messages and there are numerous requests for tickets as well,” Chamari told the Sunday Island.

Interest in women’s cricket has gone through the roof and money is flowing into the game as never before. Each participating nation is guaranteed a minimum purse of USD 250,000 and with every win, the prize money swells further. Even if the Sri Lankan girls fail to reach the semi-finals, there is a good chance they will return home with half a million dollars in the bank account and that should make Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe smile from ear to ear given the way the dollar has surged over the last two months.

“We had our chance in South Africa a couple of years ago to reach the semis, but we missed out on Net Run Rate. We believe we have a good opportunity this time around. England are the biggest challenge and so are New Zealand. If we are able to win one of those games, we will be closing in on a semi-final berth.”

More than 12,000 tickets were sold for Sri Lanka’s opening game against the hosts at Edgbaston. Two days later comes the marquee clash between nuclear armed neighbours India and Pakistan and needless to say, that game is a sell-out.

The arrival of Jamie Siddons as Head Coach has brought noticeable improvements. There has been a greater emphasis on power-hitting and catching. Fielding, of course, has cost Sri Lanka dearly in recent years and a conscious effort has been made to raise standards.

For years, the team relied heavily on spin, but they have now invested more in pace, something essential when playing in these conditions.

All in all, there is genuine hope that the Sri Lankan girls can make an impact this time around. England, Australia and India are the leading contenders for the title, but T20 cricket is the most unpredictable of formats, as New Zealand demonstrated by lifting the trophy last time around. On their day, underdogs can become giant killers and Sri Lanka will be hoping to write a chapter of their own.

Rex Clementine in Birmingham

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The opening T20I followed an all-too-familiar script for Sri Lanka. Heavy scoring at the top giving way to middle order brittleness and a late salvage job. Only this time, not even that script went the way it was supposed to against West Indies.

While Kusal Mendis gave Sri Lanka the high-octane start they desired, the loss of four top-order batters before the halfway point of the innings meant the remaining members of a truncated batting line-up – owing to Sri Lanka’s aggressive 6-5 combination – had to shelve any attacking ambitions and prioritise consolidation. Stuttering through a 25-run death-overs period told a story.

If one were to seek out silver linings, however, the manner of Sri Lanka’s dismissals could at the very least not be put down to a lack of intent. Head coach Gary Kirsten has spoken openly of his preference for process over immediate results, and while that might be a tricky balancing act in the short-term, it could still reap rich dividends in the not-so-distant future.

That said, living in the present as we are, from the highs of an ODI series win in the Caribbean for the first time in 23 years, the transition to T20Is has highlighted the stark contrast in firepower between the sides. Each of West Indies top-five batters cleared the ropes at least once, and looking further down the line-up it was clear there were plenty more hitters to come.

Sri Lanka by contrast had just three batters share their six sixers, with Kusal and Kamindu Mendis accounting for five of those. It’s a glaring mismatch when comparing the two sides, and a worrying one if you are of Sri Lankan persuasion.

On the flip side, For Shai Hope’s men, troubles seem much farther out and a victory in the second match will wrap up the series with a game to spare. Their multi-pronged pace attack successfully exploited the bounce at Sabina Park, and the batting line-up executed their plans largely as they would have intended – even if they allowed Sri Lanka to drag the game deeper than perhaps planned.

The hosts will now be looking for a more complete performance, particularly with the bat, as they seek to put Sri Lanka to the proverbial sword. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, face a quick turnaround to snap their batting into place, or they risk playing a dead rubber on Sunday.

After a match-winning 3 for 18 in the opener, Jason Holder showed why his experience is crucial to this balanced West Indies unit. He broke the back of Sri Lanka’s top order, which in turn dictated the tempo of the entire innings. With the pitches in Kingston, where all the matches are being played, showing some wear and patchy grass, Holder’s subtle variations and cutters could be a major threat once again.

Kamindu Mendis was a rare bright spot in Sri Lanka’s underwhelming scorecard, fighting through for a 39-ball 51. His ability to counter pace and spin alike makes him central to Sri Lanka’s plans. The management also seems to trust him to handle tricky scenarios, pitched recently as an ODI opener and now increasingly as a middle-order firefighter-cum-enforcer. However, he drastically needs support from those around him if Sri Lanka want to lay down a platform capable of challenging the hosts.

West Indies left out left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie in the first game to field an extra seamer, a tactical move that paid rich dividends. Given how effectively Shamar Joseph and Romario Shepherd supported Holder, the home side is highly likely to field an unchanged XI.

West Indies XI (probable): Shai Hope (capt, wk), Brandon King,  Shimron Hetmyer,  Roston Chase,  Sherfane Rutherford,  Rovman Powell, Jason Holder,  Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph

Sri Lanka opted for a 6-5 combination with rookie batter Lasith Croospulle at No. 3. After a stunning top-order collapse, they might contemplate bringing in Dunith Wellalage to strengthen both their spin options and lower-order batting depth – though who makes way will depend on whether or not Sri Lanka opt for three front-line seamers.

Sri Lanka XI (probable): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (capt, wk),  Lasith Croospulle/Dunith Wellalage, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis,  Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga,  Dilshan Madushanka/Dunith Wellalage  Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera,  Eshan Malinga