The Lankan team overcomes the Bangladeshi side to keep their campaign ongoing
The Lankan team will face Pakistan in their decisive last group encounter
Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42
The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin
The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the final innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and keep their faint chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.
Pursuing a modest target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the last six balls.
Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a thrilling victory for the Lankan team.
The win – the Lankan team's first of the World Cup after three losses and two no-results 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, in contrast, endured a fifth consecutive setback since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.
Even though the Bangladeshi side got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to dismiss Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a disappointing fielding display.
They gifted reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.
Although the Sri Lankan skipper could not take advantage, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh suffer.
She registered a maiden international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.
Bangladesh, led by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back in the game, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.
In reply, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44 for three.
Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their innings, adding 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.
It was leaning toward Bangladesh entering the last two innings segments, with only 12 runs necessary.
Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed merely three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka seized the win at the very end.
Bangladesh are unable to keep calm - and fielding opportunities
In the end, it was a game of nerves. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a few of fellow players as she set herself to deliver the last over, kept her nerve. Bangladesh failed to.
There will be many doubts about the team's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing around 270-280 with the Lankan team appearing at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the required total was significantly less.
However, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves overwhelming to accomplish.
But no matter what issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run target target would have been considerably smaller.
It required them three tries to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to take a difficult opportunity behind the stumps to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.
The batter was spilled further on 55 runs and 63 runs, the latter chance going right to Jhilik at cover, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with batting partners falling near her.
Subsequently in the innings, there was also a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the latter was a little unfortunate, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties due to an physical problem to the regular keeper.
Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are not at all a single occurrence. They've missed 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this competition and boast the poorest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the eight teams.
They are a squad who are overall moving in the correct path – they are competing in only their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding standards is a prominent issue which needs attention.
