Sri Lanka overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup campaign ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Perera 85 (99); Shorna 3-27

The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the decisive over to complete a heart-stopping win over their opponents and keep their slim chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a modest total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine additional runs from the last six bowls.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three defeats and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – moves them tied on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, experienced a fifth straight defeat since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a disappointing fielding performance.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was dropped three times, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu failed to make it count, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made the opposition pay.

She registered a first international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 balls and sharing an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back into the game, with De Silva's removal in the 34th over causing a Lankan batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 all out.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring opening overs and they were later brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh heading into the final two overs, with only 12 additional runs required.

Yet, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and allowed only three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team snatched the victory at the very end.

Finally, it was a game of nerve. The seasoned Lankan captain, who directed away a several of teammates as she prepared to deliver the final over, kept her composure. The opposition failed to.

There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting display. They could easily have been needing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking settled on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the chase was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side displayed insufficient aggression from the very beginning, making runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, suffering a early batting collapse, and finally making themselves excessive to accomplish.

But no matter what issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their chances in the fielding area, that 203-run target objective would have been substantially smaller.

It took them three tries to end the 72-run second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to grab a tough chance behind the stumps to remove Hasini Perera on 23 runs before the captain got a reprieve from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled further on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the latter chance going right to Jhilik at cover, before finally being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she tried to increase the tempo with teammates getting out near her.

Later in the batting effort, there was also a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, even though the second one was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves due to an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding woes are far from a isolated incident. They've missed 14 catches from a possible 27 opportunities at this World Cup and boast the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the eight teams.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the proper way – they are competing in only their second one-day World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a glaring problem which requires focus.