Sri Lanka will face Pakistan in their decisive last group game
Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27
Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin
The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to complete a heart-stopping win over Bangladesh and keep their faint chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.
Chasing a modest score of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the last six bowls.
However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic victory for the Lankan team.
The triumph – Sri Lanka's first of the tournament after three losses and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – pushes them level on four match points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.
Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth successive loss since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.
Although Bangladesh got off to the perfect start, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the initial ball of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a poor fielding display.
They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was dropped three times, and Athapaththu.
Even though the Sri Lankan skipper could not make it count, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.
She achieved a maiden international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket association with De Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the contest, with Nilakshi's removal in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.
During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring powerplay and they were afterwards diminished to 44 for three.
Sharmin and Joty restored their score, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.
It was in favor of Bangladesh heading into the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs necessary.
Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and conceded merely three scoring runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the victory at the final moment.
Bangladesh are unable to maintain composure - and catches
Ultimately, it was a contest of nerves. The seasoned Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of team-mates as she prepared to deliver the last over, maintained her composure. Bangladesh did not.
There will be numerous inquiries about the team's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th over, but in contrast the required total was considerably smaller.
However, the batting side showed little intent from the start, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a early batting collapse, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to do.
But whatever issues there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run objective would have been significantly lower.
It took them three efforts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty failing to grab a difficult opportunity behind the stumps to remove Perera on 23 runs before the captain was spared from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.
The batter was missed once more on 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with teammates being dismissed near her.
Subsequently in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the second one was a slightly regrettable, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves following an fitness issue to the regular keeper.
Sadly for the team, such fielding issues are not at all a single occurrence. They've missed 14 catches from a potential 27 chances at this tournament and have the worst fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the eight teams.
They are a squad who are overall moving in the proper way – they are playing in merely their second 50-over World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a glaring concern which demands attention.
