Women's World Cup: Athapaththu Credits 'fight Till End' Attitude For Thrilling Win Over Bangladesh

ODI World Cup: Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu summed up the thrilling finish, crediting her team’s never-say-die attitude after she bowled a sensational final over to pull off a seven-run win against Bangladesh in a match that went down to the last ball at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025, here at DY Patil Stadium here on Monday.

Her four-wicket burst (4-42) in the death overs, including four scalps in four balls, turned the contest around as Sri Lanka snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and stayed alive in the competition. “Actually, we handled the pressure till the last over. As a captain, I always say fight till the end. So we kept fighting. We executed the right plans,” Athapaththu said after the match. “Though we dropped many catches and made a few mistakes, it wasn’t our best performance but I’m happy with the win.”

Opting to bat first, Sri Lanka had a nightmare start with Vishmi Gunaratne dismissed off the first ball of the innings. But Athapaththu and Hasini Perera rebuilt with counterattacking intent, peppering the boundaries to revive the innings. Athapaththu’s fluent 46 set the tone before leg-spinner Rabeya Khan struck, dismissing her and triggering a middle-order wobble.

“Hasini and myself had a good partnership. Then we lost two wickets back-to-back. We have to learn from the Bangladesh team how they batted in the middle overs. If we have to improve women’s cricket in the country, we have to play positive cricket out in the middle,” she reflected.

Perera’s composed 85, supported by Nilakshi de Silva’s steady hand, carried Sri Lanka to 174 for 4, before Shorna Akter produced a stunning spell. Her tight, attacking lines yielded 3 for 27 in 10 overs, sparking a collapse that saw Sri Lanka slump to 182 for 8.

“Hasini is a senior player. She is a very good player. Very happy for her. I hope she will play her best cricket in future,” Athapaththu said of Perera’s knock. Some gritty lower-order resistance carried Sri Lanka to 202 all out in 48.4 overs.

Chasing 203, Bangladesh crumbled early to 44 for 3 in 15.3 overs before Nigar Sultana Joty and Sharmin Akhter steadied the innings. Their 82-run partnership shifted the momentum, with Sharmin making a composed 64 before retiring hurt due to cramps. With Nigar continuing to anchor the chase, the equation came down to 27 off 30 balls as Shorna Akter joined her at the crease.

Athapaththu brought herself on and turned the match on its head. She first dismissed Shorna, then ran through the lower order with a dream over -- four wickets in four balls, including the key wicket of Nigar off the first delivery. “Once Joty was out, we had the game,” the Sri Lankan skipper said. “Actually, I had a choice between myself and Udeshika to bowl that last over. Udeshika told me that you look in the mood to win it for us, so you only bowl it.”

Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana Joty admitted the loss was heartbreaking. “Till the end it was our game. We kept going in the middle. We had good partnerships but lost wickets at crucial moments,” she said. “We are not able to finish the games. We need to be a better side when it comes to chasing down the totals.”

She praised Shorna Akter’s all-round display, saying, “Shorna Akter has been impressive. She is our fifth or sixth bowling option, but has been way too good with the ball. She has been handy with the bat as well.”

Fielding lapses also cost Bangladesh dearly. “In World Cups, you have to grab opportunities. The dropped catches shift the momentum. We are a good fielding side, but somehow we are not being able to perform well in the fielding department,” Nigar admitted.

Speaking about the failed chase, she said, “We were aiming to finish in the second last over. We never wanted to take it to the last over. We tried to hit boundaries in the second last over, but couldn’t get them. That was a turning point.”

For Sri Lanka, Athapaththu believes the victory was a sign of belief. “Actually, we played four games in Sri Lanka; unfortunately, two games got washed out, and two games were lost. It is very hard to adjust to this kind of weather. Though, as a professional team, we have to do that. We have to play our best cricket,” she said. “One more game left and we’ll try to play our best next game. You never know, a miracle might happen, and we may qualify.”

Speaking about the failed chase, she said, “We were aiming to finish in the second last over. We never wanted to take it to the last over. We tried to hit boundaries in the second last over, but couldn’t get them. That was a turning point.”

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Athapaththu, meanwhile, looked ahead optimistically. “Well, hopefully it doesn’t rain back home for our next game. So then we can do our best against Pakistan.”

Article Source: IANS