The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to maintain their tournament hopes ongoing
The Lankan team will meet the Pakistani side in their decisive last group match
ICC Women's 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); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42
The Lankan side win by seven runs
The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the last over to seal a thrilling victory over their opponents and preserve their faint chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.
Chasing a attainable total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine runs from the last six deliveries.
However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three wickets in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a dramatic win for the Lankan team.
The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three losses and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them equal on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.
Bangladesh, in contrast, endured a fifth successive defeat since securing victory in their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been eliminated.
Even though the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding performance.
They gifted second chances to Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.
Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.
She achieved a first international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.
Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, fought themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th over causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.
During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing powerplay and they were subsequently brought down to 44 for three.
Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their batting effort, contributing an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter retired hurt for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.
It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the last two bowling phases, with only 12 runs required.
Yet, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and gave away merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka seized the victory at the death.
Bangladesh are unable to maintain composure - and catches
Finally, it was a contest of composure. The very experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of fellow players as she got ready to bowl the final over, held her nerve. The opposition could not.
There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159-4 in the 30th over, but instead the required total was much lower.
Yet, Bangladesh lacked aggression from the very beginning, scoring at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, suffering a initial wicket loss, and ultimately leaving themselves excessive to accomplish.
But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding area, that 203 total objective would have been substantially smaller.
It required them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty being unable to hold a difficult opportunity behind the stumps to remove Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.
The batter was dropped further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with partners falling around her.
Subsequently in the game, there was also a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a slightly unlucky, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties due to an injury to the regular keeper.
Unfortunately for the team, such fielding issues are far from a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a possible 27 at this competition and boast the lowest catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.
They are a team who are typically progressing in the right direction – they are competing in only their second 50-over World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a glaring issue which requires attention.
