Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to keep their tournament hopes breathing
The Lankan team will meet Pakistan in their decisive last tournament game
ICC Women's World Cup, 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
Sri Lanka took four wickets in the decisive innings segment to seal a thrilling triumph over their opponents and preserve their narrow chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.
Needing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine runs from the remaining six bowls.
Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a exciting success for the Lankan team.
The win – Sri Lanka's first of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them tied on four points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.
Bangladesh, in contrast, suffered a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.
While Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the game to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a poor fielding display.
They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled three times, and the Lankan captain.
Although Athapaththu was unable to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition regret it.
She registered a debut international half-century, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and building an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.
Bangladesh, guided 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 Sri Lanka collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.
While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.
Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their score, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th over.
It was in favor of the chasing team approaching the remaining two innings segments, with merely 12 additional runs required.
Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all dismissed as Sri Lanka grabbed the victory at the very end.
Bangladesh fail to keep calm - and catches
Ultimately, it was a game of nerves. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a several of fellow players as she got ready to deliver the last over, held her nerve. The opposition failed to.
There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing at ease on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the chase was significantly less.
Nevertheless, the batting side showed little intent from the very beginning, scoring at under 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, undergoing a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves excessive to achieve.
But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their catches in the field, that 203-run target goal would have been significantly less.
It took them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a challenging opportunity behind the stumps to remove Hasini Perera on 23 runs before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya Khan.
Perera was spilled again on 55 runs and 63, the last attempt traveling right to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being given out lbw by Shorna as she tried to increase the tempo with partners getting out around her.
Afterwards in the game, there was also a missed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the latter was a little regrettable, with Jhilik standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an physical problem to Joty.
Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 chances from a potential 27 at this World Cup and have the poorest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.
They are a team who are overall moving in the correct path – they are competing in only their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but substandard fielding standards is a prominent problem which needs improvement.
