Sri Lanka overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup campaign ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna Akter 3-27

Bangladesh 195-9 (50 overs): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to seal a heart-stopping triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their narrow hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Needing a below-par total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the remaining six balls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three wickets in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a dramatic success for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three losses and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – elevates them equal on four tournament points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth consecutive setback since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While Bangladesh made the perfect start, with Marufa Akter striking with the first delivery of the match to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a poor fielding effort.

They provided reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper could not capitalise, sent back leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition pay.

She registered a maiden international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 deliveries and building an important 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna Akter's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back into the game, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

While batting second, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing powerplay and they were afterwards brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their batting effort, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was in favor of the chasing team approaching the remaining two bowling phases, with merely 12 additional runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and conceded just three runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team grabbed the triumph at the final moment.

Ultimately, it was a contest of composure. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the last over, held her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be many doubts about Bangladesh's batting performance. They might well have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but rather the required total was considerably smaller.

Yet, the batting side lacked intent from the start, scoring at under 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, experiencing a early batting collapse, and finally forcing themselves excessive to achieve.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203-run objective would have been considerably smaller.

It required them three attempts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to hold a tough chance as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled opportunity against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped again on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before finally being dismissed lbw by Shorna Akter as she tried to increase the tempo with partners getting out around her.

Afterwards in the game, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, while the run-out chance was a little regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the keeping duties due to an injury to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are not at all a isolated incident. They've missed 14 catches from a potential 27 opportunities at this competition and have the poorest catching success rate (48.1%) of the eight teams.

They are a side who are generally heading in the proper way – they are participating in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a prominent problem which demands focus.