The Lankan team defeats the Bangladeshi side to keep their campaign ongoing
The Lankan team will confront the Pakistani side in their decisive last group encounter
ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27
The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin
The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a nail-biting victory over their opponents and preserve their faint hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals intact.
Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, the Bangladeshi team needed nine runs from the final six deliveries.
However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three important dismissals in four balls and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to achieve a thrilling success for the Lankan team.
The victory – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three defeats and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.
Bangladesh, in contrast, experienced a fifth straight defeat since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.
While the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a disappointing fielding effort.
They provided lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and Athapaththu.
Even though the Sri Lankan skipper could not take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition pay.
She achieved a first international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.
The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th bowling segment causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.
In reply, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing opening overs and they were later reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.
Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.
It was advantage Bangladesh entering the final two overs, with just 12 runs required.
Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed just three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the win at the final moment.
Bangladesh are unable to maintain composure - and fielding opportunities
Finally, it was a match of nerves. The seasoned Athapaththu, who ushered away a handful of fellow players as she got ready to deliver the final over, kept hers. The opposition did not.
There will be many questions about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with the Lankan team seeming at ease on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the required total was considerably smaller.
Nevertheless, the batting side showed little purpose from the start, making runs at below 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, experiencing a early batting collapse, and eventually forcing themselves overwhelming to accomplish.
But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been significantly smaller.
It needed them three attempts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with keeper Joty failing to take a challenging opportunity as wicketkeeper to send back Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya Khan.
The batter was missed once more on 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt going directly to Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being dismissed lbw by Shorna Akter as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with batting partners falling around her.
Afterwards in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, even though the latter was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the gloves due to an physical problem to Joty.
Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are far from a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a possible 27 chances at this competition and display the worst catching success rate (48.1%) of the eight teams.
They are a side who are typically moving in the proper way – they are participating in only their second 50-over World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding performance is a obvious problem which requires improvement.
