Sri Lanka overcomes the Bangladeshi side to preserve their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing
The Lankan team will face Pakistan in their decisive final group game
ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini 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 decisive over to complete a thrilling win over Bangladesh and keep their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals alive.
Chasing a attainable target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the remaining six bowls.
Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a exciting victory for the Lankan team.
The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them equal on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.
The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, endured a fifth straight setback since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.
Although Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a disappointing fielding effort.
They provided lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was dropped three times, and Athapaththu.
Even though the Sri Lankan skipper could not capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition pay.
She scored a maiden international fifty, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back in the game, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.
In reply, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a uninspiring powerplay and they were afterwards brought down to 44 for three.
Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their batting effort, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.
It was advantage the chasing team heading into the last two innings segments, with only 12 runs required.
However, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed only three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the very end.
The Bangladeshi team fail to hold nerve - and catches
Finally, it was a game of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a handful of teammates as she prepared to deliver the last over, kept her composure. The opposition did not.
There will be numerous inquiries about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been needing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team looking comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the chase was much lower.
Yet, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from the start, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves too much to accomplish.
But whatever problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203 total goal would have been considerably less.
It needed them three attempts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to take a difficult chance as wicketkeeper to dismiss Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu was spared from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.
Perera was dropped once more on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with teammates being dismissed around her.
Afterwards in the game, there was also a failed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a slightly unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the keeping duties due to an physical problem to Joty.
Sadly for the team, such fielding problems are far from a isolated incident. They've missed 14 catches from a available 27 chances at this competition and have the lowest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the participating teams.
They are a side who are typically moving in the correct path – they are participating in just their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding is a obvious issue which demands attention.
