Shorna, Rabeya keep Sri Lanka down to 202 in must-win game

Hasini Perera struck a maiden international fifty in her 143rd match, but it was little consolation as a disjointed Sri Lankan batting effort saw them stumble to a sub-par 202 all out against Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai, in what is a game where the losing team gets eliminated from semi-finals contention.

Hasini's 85 off 99 meant that she was only one of three batters - Chamari Athapaththu (46) and Nilakshika Silva (37) the other two - to reach double digits. Both Athapaththu and Hasini brought up milestones - 4000 and 1000 ODI runs, respectively - during their knocks but that will not likely be of any consolation for either.

Shorna Akter once more proved decisive - despite being introduced at the halfway point of the innings - as she picked up figures of 3 for 27, including the crucial wickets of both Hasini and Nilakshika. The rest of the wickets were spread out, with only Ritu Mony going wicketless.

And it might have been better for Bangladesh had they taken their chances, some on the tougher side. Hasini was dropped on 23 by Nigar Sultana behind the stumps, after she gloved a sweep, while Athapaththu was dropped on 46 - though it didn't matter much as she fell a delivery later. Nahida also only managed fingertips on a Hasini pull when she was on 55.

Aside from those, there were some missed run-out chances, as well as a missed stumping opportunity. But while Bangladesh were sloppy in the field, their reviews were impeccable.

It began with the first ball of the innings, as Marufa Akter imparted that trademark inswing to trap Vishmi Gunaratne in the crease. The initial decision was not out, perhaps based on height, but Marufa convinced her captain to take the review. The three reds told the story.

Later on, Sugandika Dasanayake was given not out after missing a sweep, and once more Bangladesh would ponder hard, with 17-year-old Nishita Akter Nishi almost shy in insisting for one re-look. But once more, Sultana had trust in her bowler and the wicket came.

In between those two wickets, Sri Lanka had at several points been on the up - in control, even. There was the 72-run stand between Athapaththu and Hasini after the fall of that first wicket, which had Sri Lanka romping along at nearly run-a-ball.

On a wicket with few demons, Athapaththu's 46 off 43 included six boundaries and two sixes. For the most part she looked unfazed by what Bangladesh threw at her. There was a mistimed heave that fell short of deep midwicket, and a low drilled return catch that was spilled by Rabeya Khan, but when she was trapped lbw by one that snuck past her forward defence, it seemed genuinely against the run of play.

After this point Sri Lanka were both unfortunate and architects of their own demise. A fledgling partnership of 15 between Harshitha Samarawickrama and Hasini was brought to an end after the former called for a non-existent second run and found herself a metre short.

If that was self-inflicted, the next wicket was pure unadulterated bad luck. Kavisha Dilhari chopped an attempted cut into the ground, as the ball promptly bounced past the stumps, struck keeper Sultana, and bobbled on to the stumps. Bangladesh went about their business after this, the fielders even getting back into their positions, but the third umpire was alert and used the Smart Replay system in effect at this tournament to alert the on-field umpires to a possible stumping.

As it turned out, Dilhari's back foot had momentarily lifted off the ground as she searched for balance. It was in that moment the bails had lit up - a fitting tribute to the Diwali celebrations around the stadium.

Sri Lanka had suddenly stumbled from 72 for 1 to 100 for 4, a worrying blip with them being a batter light after replacing all-rounder Piumi Wathsala with seamer Udeshika Prabodani. Thankfully for the Lankans, in Hasini and Nilakshika they had the exact counter-attacking pair the occasion called for.

Together they strung a 74-run stand off just 75 deliveries. It was a period in which batting seemed the easiest, with both players finding boundaries with regularity. If there was one criticism - and this would be one across Sri Lanka's innings - it would be their lack of strike rotation.

While Nilakshika and Hasini weren't as egregious offenders as some others, there was more than one period where a string of dot deliveries was punctuated by a boundary. It meant that despite the pair striking nine boundaries (including three sixes) across their partnership lasting a shade over 12 overs - nearly a boundary an over - they were unable to usher in a run rate above six an over.

Perhaps it was their awareness of the lack of batting to follow that kept them in check, but it was unusual to see so many tossed up deliveries of spin dead-batted away. As it transpired, Nilakshika's innings came to an end prematurely, as she shanked an on-side heave off Shorna to short third.

This wicket proved to be a catalyst for Sri Lanka's most devastating collapse, losing their next three wickets for just eight runs. Shorna had Anushka Sanjeewani caught and bowled shortly after, while Dasanayake was removed by fellow teenager Nishita. Hasini was the last to fall in that spell of play, lbw after missing a pressure-induced reverse sweep.

From then on, Sri Lanka's innings slowed to a trickle as they sought to bat time, with neither Prabodani or Malki Madara showing any sort of prowess with the bat; their partnership lasted 73 deliveries - the second-longest of the innings - but brought just 18 runs, as Sri Lanka clawed themselves to their final total.

Eventually Sri Lanka were bowled out for 202, with eight deliveries remaining. Their final 103 balls saw 28 runs scored and six wickets fall.