Sri Lanka defeats the Bangladeshi side to preserve their campaign ongoing
The Lankan team will confront the Pakistani side in their must-win last group match
ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin
Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the last over to achieve a nail-biting win over their opponents and maintain their faint aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.
Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine runs from the remaining six bowls.
Yet, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a dramatic win for the Lankan team.
The victory – the Lankan team's first of the World Cup after three defeats and two no-results 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 confront each other on Thursday.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth successive loss since securing victory in their first match against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.
Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to dismiss Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a poor fielding effort.
They gifted second chances to Perera, who was missed three times, and the Lankan captain.
While Athapaththu was unable to take advantage, removed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition suffer.
She achieved a first international half-century, scoring 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the contest, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over triggering a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.
In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a lacklustre initial phase and they were subsequently reduced to 44 for three.
Sharmin and Joty restored their batting effort, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.
It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the remaining two overs, with merely 12 more runs necessary.
Nevertheless, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed only three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the final moment.
Bangladesh fail to hold nerve - and fielding opportunities
Ultimately, it was a match of composure. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a several of teammates as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, held her composure. Bangladesh failed to.
There will be plenty of doubts about the team's batting display. They might well have been pursuing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159 for four in the 30th over, but instead the target was significantly less.
However, Bangladesh displayed insufficient purpose from the very beginning, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, undergoing a early batting collapse, and eventually leaving themselves excessive to accomplish.
But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run goal would have been considerably less.
It required them three tries to end the 72-run second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana failing to hold a difficult chance while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 runs before the captain was spared from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.
The batter was spilled further on 55 runs and 63, the last attempt traveling right to Jhilik at cover position, before finally being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with partners falling beside her.
Afterwards in the innings, there was furthermore a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the second one was a little regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the keeping duties due to an physical problem to Joty.
Sadly for the team, such fielding issues are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 opportunities at this tournament and boast the worst fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the competing sides.
They are a side who are typically moving in the right direction – they are playing in merely their second one-day World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding standards is a prominent problem which requires improvement.
