Women's World Cup: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka meet in must-win clash
What's the story
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will clash in the ICC Women's ODI World Cup on Monday at DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. Both teams have two points each, but their journeys so far have been different. While Sri Lanka's points came from washed-out games in Colombo, Bangladesh started with a win over Pakistan but have struggled since. The loser of this match will be out of the semi-final race.
Match dynamics
Bangladesh hopeful of good performance
Despite never having beaten Sri Lanka in WODIs, Bangladesh will be hopeful of a good performance. Their spin attack has troubled many established batting line-ups. However, against Australia, they fell short with a target of 199 being chased down by the opposition with 10 wickets to spare. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's batters have been promising but have lost wickets in clusters.
Player spotlight
Key players to watch out for
Harshitha Samarawickrama, a key player for Sri Lanka, is yet to score a half-century in six innings since her 53 against India earlier this year. Bangladesh's Sobhana Mostary has been the most impressive batter in the tournament with two fifties against top oppositions Australia and England. Fast bowler Marufa Akter is likely to return after being rested for Bangladesh's last match against Australia.
Historical context
Pitch report and head-to-head record
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have faced each other four times in WODIs, with Sri Lanka winning two and the other two being washed out, as per ESPNcricinfo. This will be the first-ever Women's ODI contest at DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. The average first-innings score here has been 252 with teams chasing winning nine games. Dew is expected to play a role at the ground during Monday's match.
Teams
A look at the likely XIs
BAN likely XI: Rubya Haider, Fargana Hoque, Sharmin Akhter, Nigar Sultana (capt & wk), Sobhana Mostary, Shorna Akter, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan, Ritu Moni, Nishita Akter Nishi, Marufa Akter. SL likely XI: Chamari Athapaththu, Hasini Perera, Vishmi Gunaratne, Harshita Samarawickrama, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Anushka Sanjeewani, Piumi Wathsala, Sugandika Kumari, Malki Madara, Inoka Ranaweera.
Stats
A look at the key stats
SL-W skipper Athapaththu is one run away from 4,000 ODI runs and four wickets away from 50 ODI wickets. Bangladesh's Hoque is 79 runs away from the mark of 2,000 WODI runs. Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani is set to feature in her 50th WODI match on Monday.