The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing
The Lankan team will face the Pakistani side in their must-win final group game
Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai
Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin
The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to seal a nail-biting triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.
Pursuing a modest target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine runs from the remaining six balls.
However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting success for Sri Lanka.
The win – the Lankan team's first of the competition after three defeats and two washed-out matches against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them equal on four points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been knocked out.
Even though Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the encounter to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a subpar fielding performance.
They provided lifelines to Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and Athapaththu.
Even though Athapaththu could not take advantage, removed lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition suffer.
She registered a debut international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with De Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back into the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th innings segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.
In reply, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 for one in a uninspiring powerplay and they were subsequently brought down to 44-3.
Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.
It was in favor of the chasing team heading into the last two innings segments, with merely 12 additional runs necessary.
However, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away only three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team seized the victory at the final moment.
The Bangladeshi team are unable to maintain composure - and catches
Ultimately, it was a game of nerves. The very experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of teammates as she prepared to bowl the decisive over, kept her composure. Bangladesh failed to.
There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the chase was considerably smaller.
Nevertheless, the batting side showed little intent from the very beginning, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves excessive to accomplish.
But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting, if they had seized their chances in the field, that 203-run target target would have been significantly lower.
It needed them three attempts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty not managing to grab a tough opportunity behind the stumps to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.
Perera was missed further on 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance flying right to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to increase the tempo with teammates getting out near her.
Subsequently in the innings, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a failed run-out, although the run-out chance was a little unfortunate, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties due to an fitness issue to the regular keeper.
Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 catches from a potential 27 chances at this competition and have the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the participating teams.
They are a squad who are generally heading in the proper way – they are playing in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a prominent issue which demands improvement.
