Chamari Athapaththu delivered a captain’s performance for the ages as Sri Lanka pulled off a stunning seven-run win over Bangladesh in a last-over thriller at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 in Navi Mumbai on Monday.
Defending a modest 203, Athapaththu produced a breathtaking four-wicket burst (4-42) in the death overs, turning a certain defeat into an unforgettable victory at the DY Patil Stadium.
Bangladesh In Control Before Athapaththu Strikes
Bangladesh appeared to have the game wrapped up at 176 for 3 in the 46th over before Athapaththu introduced herself into the attack — and the script flipped dramatically.
We handled pressure till the last over. We kept fighting. We dropped catches, made mistakes — not our best game, lucky to win. I knew if the game was taken deep, anything can happen.
Her decisive spell dismissed set batters, broke Bangladesh’s rhythm, and sealed victory with calm precision in the final over, after Sugandika Kumari had bowled a tight penultimate over.
Perera Anchors Sri Lanka After Early Collapse
Earlier, Sri Lanka’s innings began disastrously when Vishmi Gunaratne fell to the very first ball. But skipper Athapaththu and Hasini Perera counterattacked in style, reviving the innings with a fluent partnership.
Athapaththu’s breezy 46 set the tone, while Perera anchored the innings superbly with a composed 85. Nilakshi de Silva’s 37 added valuable support as Sri Lanka reached 174 for 4 before a late collapse — triggered by Shorna Akter’s brilliant spell (3-27) — saw them bowled out for 202 in 48.4 overs.
After Vishmi, Hasini and I batted well, but we lost wickets back-to-back. We have to learn from Bangladesh how to bat in middle overs. If we want to improve women’s cricket in Sri Lanka, we have to play smart, positive cricket.
Nigar’s Valiant Knock Not Enough
In reply, Bangladesh stumbled early but recovered through captain Nigar Sultana Joty’s fighting 77 and Sharmin Akhter’s fluent 64. Their 82-run stand for the fourth wicket put Bangladesh in control, but Sharmin’s retirement due to cramps halted the momentum.
From the start, it was our game. We batted really well but lost wickets at crucial stages. We’ve lost three games like this — it’s heartbreaking.
Despite her efforts, Athapaththu’s late spell shattered Bangladesh’s hopes as Sri Lanka held their nerve in the dying moments to claim a vital win.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 202 all out in 48.4 overs (Hasini Perera 85, Chamari Athapaththu 46, Nilakshi de Silva 37; Shorna Akter 3-27, Rabeya Khan 2-16) Bangladesh 195/9 in 50 overs (Nigar Sultana 77, Sharmin Akhter 64; Chamari Athapaththu 4-42, Sugandika Kumari 2-28) Result: Sri Lanka won by 7 runs.
