Bangladesh threw away a winning position in dramatic fashion as Sri Lanka grabbed five wickets in nine balls to seal a nerve-shredding seven-run victory in Navi Mumbai, keeping their semi-final hopes alive while sending Bangladesh crashing out of contention.
Sri Lankaโs 202 all out looked under par, but Hasini Pereraโs 85 and Chamari Athapaththuโs 46 gave them a fighting chance. Bangladesh, anchored by skipper Nigar Sultanaโs 77 and Sharmin Akhterโs unbeaten 64, looked in full control as they inched toward the modest 203 target. For 48 overs they cruised, but cricketโs cruel twists came alive in the final over.
Athapaththu, who had bowled steadily throughout, was handed the ball with Bangladesh needing just 10 runs. What followed was chaos. Three wickets fell to her off successive deliveries, with a run-out sandwiched in between. Four wickets gone in four balls turned the contest on its head, the Bangladeshi dugout stunned into silence. Athapaththu finished with remarkable figures of 4 for 42, sealing victory with a spell that will be remembered as one of the greatest clutch bowling efforts in womenโs ODI World Cup history.
Earlier, Sri Lankaโs innings mirrored Bangladeshโs collapse. Pereraโs classy 85 carried them after a mid-innings slump. She shared a 72-run partnership with Athapaththu and later added 74 runs with Nilakshika Silva, who chipped in with 37. But Sri Lanka lost momentum, crawling to 202 as Shorna Akterโs spin rattled through the middle order, finishing with 3 for 27.
Bangladeshโs chase was built on caution rather than intent. Partnerships gave them stability, but their failure to rotate the strike or accelerate left the door ajar. Sultana and Sharmin looked untroubled, but their conservative approach turned fatal when Sri Lanka pounced at the death.
For Sri Lanka, the win was about resilience and seizing the moment. Hasini Perera was named Player of the Match for her career-best knock, but Athapaththuโs final-over heroics stole the headlines. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will rue their inability to finish games despite promising performances from their batting core.
With this win, Sri Lanka live to fight another day in the World Cup race, while Bangladeshโs campaign ends with heartbreak โ undone by hesitation and a spectacular Sri Lankan fightback.
