The Lankan team defeats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup campaign alive
The Lankan team will meet Pakistan in their decisive last group encounter
ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai
The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27
The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42
Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs
Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the final over to achieve a nail-biting win over their opponents and maintain their narrow chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.
Needing a modest total of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the remaining six deliveries.
Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a exciting victory for the Lankan team.
The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the World Cup after three defeats and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – pushes them tied on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.
Bangladesh, however, endured a fifth straight setback since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.
Even though the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the initial ball of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a disappointing fielding performance.
They offered lifelines to Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.
Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to make it count, dismissed lbw for 46 just one delivery after being put down by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition pay.
She registered a first international half-century, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and contributing to an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with De Silva.
Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna Akter's 3-27, pulled themselves back in the contest, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over triggering a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 all out.
While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a lacklustre opening overs and they were afterwards brought down to 44-3.
Sharmin and Joty restored their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.
It was advantage Bangladesh entering the final two bowling phases, with just 12 additional runs necessary.
Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and conceded just three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the death.
The Bangladeshi team fail to maintain composure - and catches
In the end, it was a game of nerves. The very experienced Athapaththu, who ushered away a few of team-mates as she set herself to deliver the final over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh could not.
There will be plenty of inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They might well have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team appearing at ease on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but rather the target was significantly less.
Nevertheless, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and finally leaving themselves too much to accomplish.
But no matter what issues there are with their batting, if they had taken their chances in the field, that 203-run target goal would have been considerably lower.
It took them three efforts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to hold a tough chance while keeping to remove Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya.
The batter was spilled again on 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed around her.
Later in the game, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a failed run-out, even though the second one was a slightly unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the gloves following an injury to Joty.
Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are far from a isolated incident. They've missed 14 opportunities from a potential 27 chances at this tournament and have the worst catch efficiency (48.1%) of the eight teams.
They are a squad who are typically progressing in the correct path – they are participating in merely their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but poor fielding standards is a obvious problem which requires improvement.