The Lankan team overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their tournament hopes alive
The Lankan team will face Pakistan in their crucial last tournament game
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
The Lankan side win by seven runs
Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to complete a nail-biting victory over Bangladesh and maintain their faint hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.
Pursuing a below-par total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team required nine more runs from the remaining six deliveries.
Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three wickets in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a dramatic victory for Sri Lanka.
The win – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three defeats and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.
The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, experienced a fifth straight loss since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.
While Bangladesh got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter striking with the first delivery of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a subpar fielding performance.
They offered lifelines to Perera, who was dropped three times, and Athapaththu.
Although the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, removed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made the opposition suffer.
She registered a first international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and building an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.
Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th innings segment triggering a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 all out.
While batting second, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing initial phase and they were subsequently brought down to 44-3.
Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their batting effort, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.
It was in favor of the chasing team heading into the last two innings segments, with just 12 more runs necessary.
However, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and gave away only three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the win at the death.
Bangladesh are unable to maintain composure - and fielding opportunities
In the end, it was a match of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of team-mates as she set herself to bowl the decisive over, maintained hers. The opposition failed to.
There will be many doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming at ease on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was considerably smaller.
Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from the start, scoring at less than 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, experiencing a early batting collapse, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to do.
But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run target goal would have been significantly less.
It needed them three attempts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to grab a tough chance as wicketkeeper to remove Perera on 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya.
Perera was spilled further on 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity traveling right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before eventually being trapped lbw by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with partners getting out beside her.
Subsequently in the game, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a failed run-out, while the second one was a somewhat unfortunate, with Rubya Haider deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves following an physical problem to Joty.
Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are not at all a isolated incident. They've missed 14 opportunities from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and display the worst catching success rate (less than 50%) of the eight teams.
They are a squad who are generally progressing in the proper way – they are participating in just their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding is a prominent concern which demands focus.
