The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their campaign breathing
The Lankan team will face the Pakistani side in their decisive final group encounter
Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27
The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin
Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the final innings segment to seal a heart-stopping triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.
Chasing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the remaining six deliveries.
Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling success for the Lankan team.
The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them level on four points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, endured a fifth straight defeat since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.
Even though Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a disappointing fielding effort.
They provided second chances to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.
Although the Sri Lankan skipper could not take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made Bangladesh regret it.
She achieved a debut international fifty, making 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back in the game, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.
In reply, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were subsequently diminished to 44 for three.
Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.
It was in favor of Bangladesh approaching the remaining two bowling phases, with just 12 additional runs necessary.
However, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and allowed only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the very end.
Bangladesh are unable to hold nerve - and catches
Finally, it was a contest of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she set herself to deliver the final over, kept hers. Bangladesh did not.
There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was significantly less.
Yet, the batting side showed little purpose from the very beginning, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, suffering a initial wicket loss, and ultimately leaving themselves overwhelming to accomplish.
But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their catches in the field, that 203 total objective would have been substantially less.
It needed them three efforts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to take a difficult catch while keeping to remove Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya Khan.
The batter was spilled further on 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity going right to Jhilik at cover, before eventually being given out lbw by Shorna as she tried to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed near her.
Afterwards in the batting effort, there was also a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, while the second one was a little unfortunate, with Jhilik substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves following an fitness issue to Joty.
Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are far from a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a potential 27 chances at this tournament and have the lowest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the competing sides.
They are a side who are typically heading in the correct path – they are competing in only their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a prominent issue which demands attention.
