A distraught Nigar Sultana and a beaming Chamari Athapaththu summed up the mood in the two camps after a game that could have gone either way ended with two points for Sri Lanka
Sruthi Ravindranath21-Oct-2025The emotions were on display. At the post-match press conference, Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana sat with a blank expression, fielding one question after another about what had gone wrong. Moments later, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu walked in beaming, enthusiastically reflecting on everything that had gone right.It could have easily been the other way around. Barely an hour earlier, Nigar was anchoring Bangladesh’s chase of 203 – 25 was needed off 24 balls and Ritu Moni was at the other end. The sparse crowd at the DY Patil Stadium was being treated to a tense finish as Diwali fireworks lit up the Navi Mumbai sky.Bangladesh had been in similar moments twice already this World Cup – against England and South Africa – and the opportunity slipped through their fingers on both occasions.Related
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There had been questions over Nigar’s form throughout the tournament – she had made only 71 runs in her last five innings. But on Monday, she had done the heavy-lifting in the chase, having come in to bat in the 11th over with Bangladesh at 24 for 2. She hardly took risks, accumulating runs on a punishingly hot day. Her partner for the fourth-wicket stand of 82, Sharmin Akhter, had earlier retired hurt on 64, barely able to walk back to the dugout as she battled cramps.”Me and Supta [Sharmin] were discussing how if we could play till 35th to 40th over, we could finish the game [with] five overs left,” Nigar said. “And at some point, we got stuck because we started getting singles but couldn’t get any boundaries and the run rate kept going up. [Sharmin going out] was a crucial phase. We were managing their bowlers smartly, we had a clear plan on how many runs we needed per over. But when Supta had to go out, the momentum shifted.”But Nigar carried on. At 68 off 90, with just 20 of those runs coming in boundaries, she looked composed. With Bangladesh having just lost Shorna Akter, Nigar was in constant conversation with Moni, guiding her between deliveries. There were no demons in the pitch, and the stage was set.Inoka Ranaweera bowled the 47th over. Four singles came off it, with Moni trying to break the shackles by stepping out a couple of times, but without much effect. The required rate was beginning to squeeze Bangladesh, with 21 needed off 18 balls now.Chamari Athapaththu appeals – successfully, as it turned out – against Rabeya Khan first ball of the last over•ICC/Getty ImagesAthapaththu brought herself back into the attack. She had already removed Shorna in her previous over, and knew that dislodging Nigar could tip the game decisively.Second ball of the 48th over, Athapaththu went wide and full to keep Nigar from playing the sweep she wanted to. Nigar adjusted, shuffling across and lofting the ball over mid-off for a crucial boundary. Bangladesh needed 16 off 16 now. Four more runs came through quick running between the wickets, and the scales tipped again, with 12 required off the final two overs.Athapaththu threw the ball to Sugandika Kumari, the left-arm spinner who hadn’t bowled since the 36th over. Varying her pace expertly, Sugandika beat Moni with a quicker, fuller delivery that crashed into the stumps. Another twist. But despite the breakthrough, Sri Lanka knew the job wasn’t done – not with Nigar still out there.New batter Rabeya Khan managed a single off the final ball, which meant Nigar would be off strike for the final over, just as Sri Lanka had wanted. With only three runs coming from that 49th over, the equation now read nine needed off the last six balls.Instructions flew in from the Sri Lanka dugout. Nigar and Rabeya huddled for a final chat before taking their positions. Udeshika Prabodhani had been tidy throughout, but Athapaththu chose to take matters into her own hands again.
“I think we need to think about it and learn so many things – about this kind of situation, how we should calm our nerves and how we should get runs. And the young players have been playing in the middle at crucial moments, so I think they should learn”Nigar Sultana
“So 49th over, Sugandika bowled really good and she built the pressure,” Athapaththu said. “I talked to my team-mates and to Udeshika Prabodhani, our most senior bowler, and asked if she wanted to bowl the final over. And she said, ‘No, Chamari, you are in the mood so you bowl it’.”So Athapaththu did. First ball – a full delivery around off – Rabeya looked to slog-sweep but was pinned in front and given out, which Bangladesh reviewed in vain. One ball in, one wicket down, and now nine needed off five. Nigar had a chat with the new batter Nahida Akter, likely asking to be put back on strike.Nahida tried, driving a full delivery to the covers and taking off. Nilakshika Silva, at cover, had earlier put down a straightforward chance of Shorna. This time, she gathered cleanly and fired in a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Two balls, two wickets. Nine needed off four.That, however, had brought Nigar back on strike. She had taken Athapaththu for a four in her previous over.Athapaththu made her move, pushing mid-off back and also putting a long-on in place. She teased Nigar with the ball full outside off again. Nigar, staying still, drove hard but in the air and to Nilakshika at long-off. She couldn’t quite pouch it, but didn’t let the catch go down. The roar from the Sri Lanka players said it all. Nine off three was still gettable, but not without Nigar, who had fallen for 77 off 98.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”If Joty [Nigar] had played some more balls, I knew the game would not go our way,” Athapaththu said three balls and some celebrations later. “So we executed our right plan at the right time. The last over, I executed my plans. I know Joty is so good with inside-out [shots] so we kept fielders at long-on and long-off. I attacked the stumps, pace-on-pace-off for Joty, and she tried to hit over long-off, and she got out.”Next ball, a quicker one, trapped Marufa Akter in front and left Bangladesh nine down. Nine from two now. Only one six had been hit all innings and the batter who had hit it was out with cramps. And the final two deliveries, with tail-enders on strike, yielded just a single, and it was done. Sri Lanka had pulled off a stunning reversal few saw coming just a couple of overs earlier.The loss wasn’t just heartbreaking for Bangladesh because of how hard they fought, but it also ended their slim hopes of reaching the semi-finals – they become the first team to be knocked out of the tournament.”It’s really heartbreaking, because we came here to win,” Nigar said. “I think we [have now] played three [close] games – against England, South Africa and now Sri Lanka. I think we need to think about it and learn so many things – about this kind of situation, how we should calm our nerves and how we should get runs. And the young players have been playing in the middle at crucial moments, so I think they should learn.”Nilakshika Silva manages to hold on, and that’s the end of Nigar Sultana•ICC/Getty ImagesSri Lanka, though, kept themselves alive. Their journey has been anything but smooth, and their only points until now had come from washouts. They struggled earlier in the day to post 202, which was largely built on Hasini Perera’s heroics. Playing her 59th ODI, Hasini brought up her maiden fifty, anchoring the innings with 85 off 99 balls.Despite the result, Athapaththu, who had scored 46 in 43, expressed displeasure at her team’s batting. “The way we batted, I’m not happy because we had a good start, but we didn’t continue that run,” she said – Sri Lanka were 174 for 5 in the 32nd over and only added 28 more. “So as professional players, we can’t say any excuses for those things. We have to adapt. Because we are a pretty good team, but we have not played to our potential today.”One more game left [in the World Cup, against Pakistan], we [will] try our best, play our best game in next game and [try to] beat Pakistan, finishing high. If miracle happens [in terms of qualification for the knockouts], let’s see.”It may not have been the perfect game for them but Sri Lanka, somehow, won a humdinger. And stayed alive at the World Cup.