21 October,2025 08:55 AM IST | Navi Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
Hasini Perera during her 85 at the DY Patil Stadium on Monday. Pic/Atul Kamble
Riding on one-drop Hasini Perera's 85 off 99 balls (13x4, 1x6) and skipper Chamari Athapaththu's 43-ball 46 (6x4, 2x6) Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by seven runs in their ICC Women's World Cup game at the DY Patil Stadium on Monday. Batting first, SL posted 202 all out. In reply Bangladesh managed 195-9 in the allotted 50 overs.
Earlier, though Bangladesh pacer Marufa Akter (1-36) was right on target when she trapped SL opener Vishmi Gunaratne (0) LBW on the very first ball of the match, the two left-handed batters Athapaththu and Perera gave Bangladesh a tough time, stitching a 72-run stand in 12.4 overs.
Experienced campaigner Athapaththu, 35, who was playing along the carpet in the first four overs, showcased her aggression while dispatching Marufa over point for the first maximum of the game. She flicked the very next ball for a one-bounce four. Athapaththu completed 4,000 ODI runs in her 120th game en route, becoming the first SL woman batter to reach the milestone. Despite losing opener Gunaratne in the first over, Perera played with attacking intent and earned two successive fours in the same over off Marufa through backfoot punches. Perera celebrated her half-century in style, dancing down the wicket to smash Rabeya over long-off. Even after her skipper's departure, Perera shaped her innings well alongside Nilakshika Silva (37, 1x4, 2x6) to build a 74-run stand for the fifth wicket. Parera missed out on her maiden century when leg-spinner Shorna Akter (3-27) trapped her leg before wicket.
