Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign breathing
The Lankan team will meet the Pakistani side in their decisive last tournament game
Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai
Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27
Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42
The Lankan side win by seven runs margin
The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the last over to seal a thrilling victory over Bangladesh and keep their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.
Needing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the last six deliveries.
However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.
The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.
The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth straight loss since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.
Although Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding performance.
They offered lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and the Lankan captain.
Even though Athapaththu was unable to make it count, removed lbw for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition regret it.
She scored a maiden international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back in the match, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.
In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre powerplay and they were later diminished to 44-3.
Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.
It was leaning toward Bangladesh entering the remaining two overs, with just 12 runs necessary.
Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and conceded merely three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the death.
The Bangladeshi team cannot hold nerve - and fielding opportunities
Ultimately, it was a game of composure. The seasoned Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of fellow players as she set herself to deliver the final over, maintained her composure. The opposition did not.
There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been pursuing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th over, but instead the chase was much lower.
Nevertheless, Bangladesh showed little purpose from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and eventually forcing themselves too much to achieve.
But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their catches in the field, that 203 total objective would have been significantly lower.
It took them three attempts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to hold a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.
The batter was missed again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with teammates being dismissed around her.
Afterwards in the game, there was also a missed stumping and a failed run-out, although the latter was a little unlucky, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties after an fitness issue to the regular keeper.
Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are nowhere near a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a potential 27 at this World Cup and display the worst catching success rate (less than 50%) of the competing sides.
They are a squad who are generally moving in the correct path – they are playing in only their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding performance is a glaring concern which demands improvement.
