The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to keep their World Cup campaign breathing
The Lankan team will meet the Pakistani side in their must-win last group encounter
ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42
The Lankan side win by seven runs
Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to seal a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their faint hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.
Chasing a attainable total of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine runs from the final six bowls.
Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting victory for the Lankan team.
The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the competition after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them level on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.
Bangladesh, in contrast, suffered a fifth successive loss since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.
While Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the encounter to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a disappointing fielding performance.
They provided lifelines to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.
Although the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, removed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Perera made the opposition pay.
She scored a maiden international half-century, making 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.
Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back into the game, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.
While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were later diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.
Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their score, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.
It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the final two bowling phases, with just 12 runs needed.
However, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed merely three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team snatched the win at the final moment.
The Bangladeshi team cannot maintain composure - and catches
Finally, it was a contest of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a few of teammates as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, held her composure. The opposition could not.
There will be many questions about the team's batting display. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the target was significantly less.
Nevertheless, Bangladesh lacked purpose from ball one, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and finally forcing themselves excessive to do.
But whatever problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their catches in the field, that 203 total goal would have been considerably smaller.
It took them three efforts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana not managing to take a difficult catch while keeping to dismiss Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya.
Perera was spilled again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the last attempt flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with teammates being dismissed beside her.
Afterwards in the innings, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a little unfortunate, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties due to an injury to Joty.
Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a possible 27 at this competition and have the poorest catching success rate (less than 50%) of the eight teams.
They are a team who are generally progressing in the right direction – they are competing in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious problem which needs improvement.
