Sri Lanka's slender hopes for the Women's Cricket World Cup were kept alive with a dramatic four-wicket haul in Bangladesh's final over. The match in Navi Mumbai on Monday saw Sri Lanka edge out Bangladesh by seven runs, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. With Bangladesh cruising and only nine runs needed off the final over, captain Chamari Athapaththu took the ball herself and turned the tide. Four wickets tumbled in four balls as Bangladesh collapsed, losing five wickets for just two runs. Athapaththu, calm amidst the storm, finished with a career-best four for 42. The drama began with Rabeya Khan trapped leg-before off the first ball, followed by a run-out next delivery. Bangladesh's hopes sank further when their captain, Nigar Sultana, danced down the track only to find long-off lurking. When Marufa Akter was adjudged lbw next ball, Athapaththu had conjured the unthinkable, defending nine with a single run conceded in the over. 'We handled the pressure well,' Athapaththu said. 'We knew that if we took the game deep, teams could crumble. It wasn’t perfect, batting collapses and dropped catches hurt us, but luck smiled at us today.' For once, fortune favoured Sri Lanka, whose campaign had been marred by rain, missed chances, and misfiring batters. Hasini Perera, who struck her maiden one-day international half-century, made 85 off 99 balls, peppered with 13 fours and a six. She was the backbone of Sri Lanka’s 202 all out as she reached the milestone of 1,000 runs in ODIs. A 74-run partnership with Nilakshika de Silva gave Sri Lanka a solid launch pad, before another collapse saw six wickets fall for 28 runs. Even so, the Sri Lankans held their nerve in the death overs to seal the win and climb to sixth in the standings. With four points, they are level with New Zealand and India, although they will need results to go in their favour to grab the last semi-final spot. Australia, South Africa, and England have already booked their places in the last four.
