Sri Lanka beats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their tournament hopes alive
The Lankan team will confront Pakistan in their must-win final group encounter
ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42
The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs
The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to complete a heart-stopping victory over Bangladesh and maintain their slim hopes of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.
Needing a below-par target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the last six balls.
Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a exciting victory for Sri Lanka.
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 India and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.
Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been knocked out.
Even though Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the game to dismiss Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a poor fielding effort.
They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and the Lankan captain.
Although Athapaththu was unable to make it count, dismissed lbw for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition pay.
She registered a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the match, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.
In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.
Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.
It was advantage the chasing team approaching the last two innings segments, with just 12 more runs needed.
Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team snatched the win at the death.
Bangladesh fail to keep calm - and fielding opportunities
Finally, it was a contest of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a handful of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the final over, held her nerve. Bangladesh failed to.
There will be plenty of questions about the team's batting effort. They could easily have been needing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the target was significantly less.
Yet, Bangladesh showed little intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, undergoing a top-order collapse, and finally forcing themselves too much to do.
But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their opportunities in the field, that 203-run target would have been substantially lower.
It required them three efforts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a challenging opportunity while keeping to send back Perera on 23 before Athapaththu was spared from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.
Perera was dropped again on her score of 55 and 63, the last attempt traveling right to Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed around her.
Later in the innings, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a failed run-out, even though the latter was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the gloves after an injury to Joty.
Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are far from a single occurrence. They've missed 14 opportunities from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and display the lowest catching success rate (48.1%) of the competing sides.
They are a side who are typically heading in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding performance is a glaring problem which demands improvement.
