Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh to keep their campaign ongoing
The Lankan team will confront the Pakistani side in their crucial last tournament encounter
ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin
The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the decisive over to seal a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and keep their faint aspirations of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.
Chasing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the last six deliveries.
Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three wickets in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida to bring about a dramatic success for the Lankan team.
The win – the Lankan team's first of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them level on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.
Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth consecutive defeat since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.
Although the Bangladeshi side made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the game to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding display.
They provided lifelines to Perera, who was dropped three times, and the Lankan captain.
Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, dismissed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition suffer.
She achieved a debut international half-century, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th innings segment triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.
While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were subsequently diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.
Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their batting effort, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before the batter withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.
It was in favor of the chasing team entering the last two innings segments, with only 12 runs necessary.
However, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away only three scoring runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the triumph at the very end.
Bangladesh are unable to keep calm - and catches
Ultimately, it was a game of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who ushered away a few of fellow players as she got ready to bowl the decisive over, kept her composure. Bangladesh could not.
There will be many questions about Bangladesh's batting performance. They could easily have been pursuing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the chase was much lower.
Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient intent from the start, accumulating runs at under 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually leaving themselves excessive to accomplish.
But no matter what problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run goal would have been substantially lower.
It needed them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to grab a tough chance while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled possibility against Rabeya.
Perera was dropped further on 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Jhilik at cover, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with teammates getting out beside her.
Later in the game, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik standing in with the gloves due to an injury to the regular keeper.
Regrettably for the team, such fielding woes are far from a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 catches from a possible 27 at this tournament and boast the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.
They are a side who are overall moving in the right direction – they are playing in merely their second 50-over World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding is a prominent issue which requires focus.
