Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to keep their World Cup campaign alive
The Lankan team will face the Pakistani side in their decisive final group game
ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai
Sri Lanka 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 win by seven runs margin
Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the decisive over to complete a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and keep their faint chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.
Needing a modest total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine more runs from the last six balls.
However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three wickets in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a exciting win for the Lankan team.
The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – pushes them level on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.
Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth straight setback since securing victory in their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.
Although the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the initial ball of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a subpar fielding effort.
They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.
While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya, Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.
She scored a maiden international half-century, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and building an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the match, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th over causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.
During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing initial phase and they were afterwards brought down to 44-3.
Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.
It was leaning toward Bangladesh heading into the last two overs, with just 12 additional runs necessary.
Nevertheless, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed merely three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka snatched the victory at the death.
Bangladesh fail to maintain composure - and catches
Ultimately, it was a game of nerve. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of fellow players as she prepared to bowl the decisive over, kept her nerve. Bangladesh could not.
There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting performance. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka appearing at ease on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was much lower.
Nevertheless, Bangladesh showed little aggression from the start, making runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately leaving themselves too much to do.
But whatever issues there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their chances in the field, that 203-run target target would have been substantially lower.
It took them three attempts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a difficult chance while keeping to dismiss Perera on her score of 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya Khan.
Perera was spilled once more on 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity flying right to Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with batting partners being dismissed near her.
Afterwards in the batting effort, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a missed run-out, while the second one was a somewhat regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties following an fitness issue to Joty.
Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 chances from a possible 27 at this World Cup and boast the worst catching success rate (48.1%) of the competing sides.
They are a team who are overall moving in the correct path – they are participating in merely their second ODI World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a obvious issue which requires focus.