The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their World Cup campaign ongoing
The Lankan team will meet the Pakistani side in their crucial last tournament game
Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27
Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42
The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs
Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the decisive innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping win over their opponents and maintain their faint chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.
Chasing a attainable target of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine runs from the last six deliveries.
However, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a dramatic victory for the Lankan team.
The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three defeats and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on the coming Thursday.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth successive loss since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.
While Bangladesh made the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the match to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a disappointing fielding display.
They gifted reprieves to Perera, who was dropped on three occasions, and Athapaththu.
Even though the Sri Lankan skipper could not take advantage, sent back leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition regret it.
She achieved a debut international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back to the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment causing a Lankan downfall from 174-4 to 202 all out.
In reply, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 for one in a disappointing powerplay and they were afterwards diminished to 44 for three.
Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their batting effort, adding 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.
It was advantage the chasing team heading into the remaining two bowling phases, with merely 12 runs needed.
Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away merely three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the final moment.
Bangladesh cannot keep calm - and catches
Ultimately, it was a game of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a few of teammates as she set herself to bowl the last over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh could not.
There will be plenty of questions about the team's batting effort. They could easily have been pursuing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th over, but rather the chase was much lower.
Yet, the batting side lacked purpose from the start, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves excessive to accomplish.
But whatever problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their chances in the fielding area, that 203-run goal would have been substantially lower.
It took them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to grab a tough opportunity while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya Khan.
Perera was missed further on 55 and 63, the last attempt traveling straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being trapped lbw by Shorna Akter as she attempted to increase the tempo with teammates being dismissed around her.
Subsequently in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a missed run-out, while the run-out chance was a somewhat unfortunate, with Jhilik standing in with the gloves following an physical problem to Joty.
Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a possible 27 at this competition and boast the poorest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the eight teams.
They are a squad who are overall heading in the correct path – they are playing in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but poor fielding is a prominent issue which needs focus.
