Sri Lanka overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their campaign breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the final 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 score of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the final six deliveries.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting victory for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's first of the competition after three defeats and two no-results against Australia and New Zealand – pushes them level on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, suffered a fifth consecutive defeat since securing victory in their initial game against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Even though the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the match to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding effort.

They offered second chances to Hasini Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and the Lankan captain.

Even though Athapaththu could not make it count, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She achieved a first international fifty, scoring 85 from 99 balls and building an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's 3-27, dragged themselves back into the contest, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their batting effort, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a resolute 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 runs needed.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and gave away merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as Sri Lanka grabbed the win at the final moment.

Finally, it was a match of composure. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a few of fellow players as she set herself to bowl the last over, maintained hers. Bangladesh could not.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting performance. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th over, but instead the required total was significantly less.

However, the batting side lacked purpose from ball one, making runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a early batting collapse, and eventually leaving themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever problems there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their chances in the fielding department, that 203 total goal would have been substantially smaller.

It needed them three tries to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana not managing to take a challenging catch behind the stumps to dismiss Perera on 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a return catch possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with partners being dismissed near her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, while the second one was a somewhat unfortunate, with Rubya Haider substituting with the keeping duties after an injury to the regular keeper.

Sadly for the team, such fielding issues are not at all a isolated incident. They've missed 14 chances from a available 27 chances at this competition and have the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are overall moving in the proper way – they are participating in just their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding standards is a prominent issue which requires focus.