Bangladesh, led by skipper Nigar Sultana Joty, had yet another opportunity to make the world take note of their talent. They’ve pushed every opposition out of their comfort zone and have made them work hard for their win in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 so far. They were up against Sri Lanka, led by skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who themselves are searching for a collective team performance to register their first win in the tournament.
Sri Lanka brought back the experienced Udeshika Prabodhani back into the side, replacing Piumi Badalage into the starting 11. Bangladesh made a couple of changes; Marufa Akter made her way back into the side, replacing Fariha Trisna, and Fahima Khatun made way for Nahida Akter.
Sri Lanka implodes after a solid platform to get bowled out
Marufa Akter yet again struck gold, sending back Vishmi Gunaratne for a duck with her booming inswinger on the first ball of the game, after skipper Chamari Athapaththu won the toss and opted to bat first, in Navi Mumbai, a dream start for Bangladesh. Hasini Perera joined skipper Chamari Athapaththu at the crease, and she counter-attacked Marufa with successive boundaries.
The duo took the game forward with positive intent, stitching a much-needed 72-run partnership for the 2nd wicket. Rabeya Khan got the big scalp of the opposition skipper Chamari Athapaththu (46 off 43 balls) just as she looked like she was about to unleash another gear. Sri Lanka lost Harshitha Samarawickrama, courtesy of a run-out, and Kavisha Dilhari was unfortunate to get stumped off the recorciate from Nigar Sultana Joty ended her stay at the crease in the 20th over of the innings.
Nilakshika Silva joined Hasini Perera at the crease, and the pair infused the momentum back into the innings with a brisk 74-run partnership for the 5th wicket, which also took the total closer to the 180-run mark. Shorna Akter’s introduction worked out well as she made Nilakshika Silva (37 off 38 balls) stretch out for a full and wide delivery outside the off-stump, and Nishita Akter Nishi, placed at short third, ended an unwanted streak of 10 successive drop catches in the tournament to provide the much-needed 5th breakthrough for Bangladesh.
Nilakshika’s departure left Hasini Perera (85 off 99 balls) stranded at one end as Sri Lanka kept losing wickets. She registered her maiden half-century in the ODI format in a must-win World Cup clash and was looking all set to convert it into her maiden ton. However, with her running out of partners and the onus of taking the scoreboard along, got on her as she made an unsuccessful attempt to reverse sweep against Shorna Akter and was adjudged lbw, providing a much-needed 8th breakthrough for her side in the 36th over of the innings.
However, the lower-order Malki Madara (9 off 42 balls) and Udeshika Prabodhani (8 off 37 balls) showed some character to push the Sri Lankan total past the 200-run mark, before getting bundled out for 202, with 8 balls to spare. Shorna Akter (10-4-27-3), Rabeya Khan (9-1-39-2), Nishita Akter (10-0-35-1), and Nahida Akter (7-1-30-1) were impressive with the ball for Bangladesh.
Nigar Sultana and Sharmin Akhter’s efforts in vain as Sri Lanka defend 202
Chasing a tricky total of 203, Bangladesh lost their top order inside the first 16 overs of the run chase. Out walked skipper Nigar Sultana Joty with her side in trouble at 44/3 in the 16th over of the innings, to join Sharmin Akhter at the crease. The pair kept the Sri Lankan bowlers at bay for the next 20 overs.
However, the demanding conditions got the better of Sharmin Akter in the 36th over of the run chase as the duo had a solid 82-run stand for the 4th wicket. Shorna Akter, the youngster who had a memorable day with the ball, joined her skipper at the crease, and the pair did well to continue the momentum, adding another 50 runs to the total, getting Bangladesh into a commanding position in the contest.
Skipper Chamari Athapaththu broke the stand, by sending Shorna Akter (19 off 27 balls) back to the pavilion in the 46th over of the run chase. Skipper Nigar Sultana Joty is standing firm, registering her maiden half-century in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. Bangladesh looked poised to register their 2nd win in the ongoing edition of the tournament and their first against Sri Lanka in the format.
The batters took the game deep, and the equation came down to a run-a-ball 12 runs needed in the last couple of overs. The Sri Lankan skipper backed Sugandika Kumari to deliver a tight over; she didn’t just do that but also managed to send Ritu Moni back into the pavilion, to spice things up in the contest, going down to the wire.
Sri Lanka had nine runs to defend in the final over, and it was none other than skipper Chamari Athapaththu who took up the responsibility upon herself to guide her side over the line. She churned out a spell of her career, right in the dying stages of a potential knockout clash. Four wickets in four balls, including the decisive scalp of her opposite number Nigar Sultana Joty (77 off 98 balls), sealed the deal for Sri Lanka, as they got over the line by 7 runs.
Skipper Chamari Athapaththu returned with her career-best spell in the format (10-0-42-4). Sugandika Kumari (9-0-38-2), Malki Madara (7-0-19-0), Kavisha Dilhari (7-0-25-0), and Udeshika Prabodhani (7-1-29-1) provided impressive spells with the ball for their side. Sharmin Akhter stayed unbeaten on 64* (103 balls). Hasini Perera (85 off 99 balls) was awarded the Player of the Match, playing a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s maiden victory in the ongoing edition of the tournament. As a result, they have kept the semi-final qualification hopes alive.
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