Sri Lanka overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup campaign alive
The Lankan team will meet the Pakistani side in their crucial final tournament encounter
Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin
The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to achieve a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and keep their faint chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.
Chasing a modest score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the last six balls.
Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a exciting success for Sri Lanka.
The triumph – Sri Lanka's maiden of the tournament after three losses and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them level on four points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.
The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth straight loss since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been eliminated.
While the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a disappointing fielding effort.
They provided second chances to Hasini Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.
Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, removed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh pay.
She scored a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.
Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back in the contest, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.
While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 for one in a lacklustre powerplay and they were later reduced to 44-3.
Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their innings, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket stand before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.
It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the remaining two bowling phases, with merely 12 more runs necessary.
However, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and conceded only three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka grabbed the win at the final moment.
Bangladesh cannot hold nerve - and fielding opportunities
Ultimately, it was a game of nerves. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of fellow players as she set herself to deliver the final over, maintained her composure. Bangladesh could not.
There will be plenty of doubts about the team's batting display. They could easily have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but rather the chase was much lower.
Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient aggression from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, undergoing a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves too much to do.
But whatever issues there are with their batting, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run goal would have been considerably less.
It needed them three attempts to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to grab a difficult opportunity behind the stumps to send back Perera on 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.
The batter was dropped further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity flying right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she sought to increase the tempo with batting partners getting out around her.
Subsequently in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the latter was a slightly unfortunate, with Jhilik standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an injury to Joty.
Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a possible 27 at this tournament and have the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the participating teams.
They are a team who are generally progressing in the proper way – they are competing in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding performance is a prominent issue which requires focus.