Bangladesh out of semifinal race due to astonishing choke

Bangladesh became the first team to be ruled out of contention from the semifinal race in the 2025 Women’s World Cup as they bungled up a glorious opportunity to pick up their first ever ODI win over Sri Lanka. In a low-scoring fixture in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh seemed destined to get over the line when they needed 12 off 12 with six wickets in hand before making an absolute hash of it to fall 7 runs short, rather incredibly.

Bangladesh made a watchful start in the run chase after losing an opener in just the second over before Sharmin Akter got them going with a six. Sri Lanka again burst into the ascendancy when a struggling Fargana Hoque got run out for a laborious 35-ball 7 before Sugandika Kumari struck to leave Bangladesh in panic mode at 44/3. That is when Nigar Sultana joined the well-set Sharmin at the crease to embark on the repair job.

The two batters bided their time with the run rate even dropping below 3 at one stage. At the halfway mark, Bangladesh had mereley 73 on the board before Sharmin hit Chamari Athapaththu for a couple of boundaries in an over to restore a wee bit of momentum. Sultana got into her groove at a slow pace as Bangladesh eventually took control of the chase.

Sri Lanka were then handed a sniff when Sharmin walked off retired hurt but Sultana alongside Shorna Akter ensured that the there was no major slowdown. The pair collected runs at a decent clip with the skipper even going past fifty in the process. With Sultana now in sublime touch, the result appeared to be a foregone conclusion when Bangladesh dwarfed the equation down to 27 off 30 balls with 7 wickets still intact.

While Shorna’s wicket did ring the alarm bells briefly, the target was nonetheless well within reach. However, what ensued was sheer calamity as Sugandika first delivered a terrific over that saw her snaffle a wicket as well to leave the requirement at 9 off 6. Athapaththu then took the responsibility of bowling the final over herself with Sultana stranded at the non-striker’s end.

Rabeya Khan was pinned lbw first ball and Nahida Akter sacrificed her wicket in the endeavour to get Sultana on strike. With 9 now needed off 4, Bangladesh believed, as their skipper was finally at the desired end. However, going for a big shot, Sultana made a poor connection and found the fielder to compound Bangladesh’s misery as even Sharmin returning to bat didn’t make a difference to the final result.

Earlier in the afternoon, Sri Lanka got off to a horrendous start when Vishmi Gunaratne was trapped lbw first ball of the match. However, Athapaththu cut a contrasting figure, smacking boundaries at will. Hasini Perera offered her able support to put Sri Lanka in command early. Athapaththu was particularly severe on Nahida Akter as Sri Lanka ended up scoring 64 in the first ten overs. Athapaththu was then dismissed against the run of play and her exit did pull the scoring rate down along expected lines.

Bangladesh made further inroads to leave their opponent struggling at 100/4 but Hasini and Nilakshi De Silva stabilized the innings with a vital 74-run partnership. In what was a collapse similar to the one that unfolded later in the night, Sri Lanka squandered the platform that was established. From 174/4 they nosedived to add only 28 runs for the final six wickets. Hasini was on course for her maiden hundred at a juncture but losing partners eventually got to her and she walked back to a standing ovation for 85. While the odds are still against them, Sri Lanka now survive to have another crack at the race for that fourth semifinal spot.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 202 in 48.4 overs (Hasini Perera 85, Chamari Athapaththu 46; Shorna Akter 3/27) beat Bangladesh 195/9 in 50 overs (Nigar Sultana 77, Sharmin Akter 64*; Chamari Athapaththu 4/42) by 7 runs.