Navi Mumbai, October 20, 2025 - A perplexing dismissal in Monday's Women's World Cup 2025 match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh has ignited debate and left a Sri Lankan batter the victim of cruel misfortune. The incident occurred at the DY Patil Sports Academy, during Sri Lanka's innings.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat in this crucial match, but their campaign got off to the worst possible start when Vishmi Gunaratne was dismissed by Marufa Akter on the very first ball.
The bizarre dismissal happened when Kavisha Dilhari was stumped by Bangladesh's wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana Joty. What made it so strange was that the Bangladesh players didn't even realize the batter was out until the umpires intervened. The ball took an inside edge, ricocheted off Joty, and then clipped the bails while Dilhari's back foot was momentarily in the air. The Sri Lankan innings eventually ended at 202 all out in 48.4 overs. Malki Madara was run out on the fourth ball of the 49th over.
Earlier, Marufa Akter gave Bangladesh a strong start by trapping Gunaratne LBW with the first ball of the day. Although the on-field umpire initially said not out, Bangladesh reviewed the decision, and ball tracking showed that the ball would have hit the wickets.
Hasini Perera top-scored for Sri Lanka with 85, while Chamari Athapaththu contributed 46. Nilakshika Silva also added a valuable 37. Shorna Akter was the pick of the bowlers for Bangladesh, taking 3 wickets for 27 runs. Rabeya Khatun supported her well with 2 wickets for 39 runs.
In response, Bangladesh Women were sluggish, scoring 23/1 after the first 10 overs, compared to Sri Lanka Women's 64/1. Fargana Hoque was run out in the 11th over.
This pivotal match carried significant weight as both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh entered with two points each after five games. The stakes were high, with the loser facing elimination from semi-final contention.
The Sri Lankan batting lineup struggled, with wickets falling in clusters after promising starts. Nilakshika Silva's dismissal in the 32nd over triggered a collapse, and Sri Lanka slumped from 174/4 to 202 all out. Shorna Akter dismantled the middle order, as Sri Lanka managed just 27 runs for four wickets between overs 31 and 40.
This is not the first time a Sri Lanka-Bangladesh match has been mired in controversy. During the 2023 ODI World Cup, Angelo Mathews was controversially timed out.
