Sri Lanka overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

Sri Lanka 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini 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

The Lankan cricket team claimed four wickets in the decisive over to seal a thrilling triumph over their opponents and keep their narrow hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine additional runs from the remaining six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to bring about a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them tied on four match points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, endured a fifth consecutive setback since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

While Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a subpar fielding display.

They provided second chances to Hasini Perera, who was missed three times, and Athapaththu.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, sent back leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh regret it.

She achieved a debut international 50-run score, making 85 from 99 bowls and building an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, dragged themselves back in the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23-1 in a disappointing opening overs and they were subsequently reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their batting effort, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage the chasing team heading into the last two bowling phases, with only 12 additional runs required.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and allowed just three scoring runs before the captain's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a game of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a few of team-mates as she set herself to bowl the decisive over, held her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been chasing 270 or 280 with Sri Lanka seeming comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the chase was considerably smaller.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little aggression from the start, making runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a initial wicket loss, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203 total objective would have been considerably less.

It needed them three efforts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to hold a difficult opportunity while keeping to send back Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped further on 55 and her score of 63, the final opportunity flying directly to Jhilik at cover field, before eventually being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to up the ante with partners getting out around her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a missed run-out, while the run-out chance was a slightly regrettable, with Rubya Haider substituting with the gloves following an physical problem to Joty.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are not at all a one-off. They've dropped 14 catches from a available 27 at this tournament and display the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the correct path – they are playing in only their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a glaring problem which requires improvement.