The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to preserve their campaign alive
The Lankan team will face Pakistan in their decisive final group match
Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai
Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin
The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the final innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and maintain their slim aspirations of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.
Needing a attainable total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine additional runs from the last six deliveries.
Yet, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to secure a dramatic success for Sri Lanka.
The triumph – the Lankan team's initial of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them tied on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.
The Bangladeshi team, however, endured a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.
Even though Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the game to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a subpar fielding effort.
They gifted second chances to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and the Lankan captain.
Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera made Bangladesh regret it.
She achieved a debut international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and building an important 74-run stand fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.
Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back in the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th innings segment causing a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.
In reply, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 for one in a uninspiring opening overs and they were subsequently brought down to 44 with three wickets lost.
Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their score, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.
It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the final two overs, with merely 12 runs needed.
Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and allowed merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the very end.
Bangladesh are unable to hold nerve - and catches
Ultimately, it was a game of composure. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who directed away a few of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, kept hers. Bangladesh did not.
There will be many questions about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been pursuing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the required total was significantly less.
Yet, the batting side lacked aggression from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 scoring rate during the opening overs, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually leaving themselves too much to do.
But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run target would have been substantially smaller.
It required them three efforts to end the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a difficult opportunity while keeping to remove Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya Khan.
Perera was spilled again on 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with batting partners falling around her.
Later in the batting effort, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, while the latter was a little unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves after an physical problem to Joty.
Unfortunately for the team, such fielding issues are nowhere near a one-off. They've dropped 14 catches from a potential 27 at this tournament and display the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.
They are a side who are overall heading in the proper way – they are participating in merely their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding is a obvious concern which requires improvement.
