Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the last over to complete a nail-biting triumph over Bangladesh and maintain their narrow chances of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Needing a modest target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine more runs from the final six deliveries.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's first of the competition after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them level on four tournament points with India and the New Zealand side, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, suffered a fifth consecutive defeat since winning their first match against Pakistan and have been knocked out.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the match to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a subpar fielding effort.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper could not take advantage, sent back leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh suffer.

She achieved a first international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back in the contest, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

During their chase, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were subsequently diminished to 44-3.

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

It was leaning toward the chasing team entering the last two innings segments, with merely 12 more runs necessary.

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

Ultimately, it was a match of composure. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of teammates as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, maintained hers. The opposition could not.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting display. They possibly have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team seeming settled on 159 for four in the 30th over, but instead the required total was much lower.

However, Bangladesh displayed insufficient aggression from the very beginning, scoring at less than 2.5 runs per over during the opening overs, undergoing a top-order collapse, and eventually forcing themselves too much to do.

But whatever issues there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their catches in the fielding department, that 203 total objective would have been substantially lower.

It took them three efforts to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with wicketkeeper Joty being unable to take a challenging chance as wicketkeeper to send back Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain survived from a return catch opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was missed once more on 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt traveling directly to Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with partners falling near her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, while the run-out chance was a somewhat unfortunate, with Rubya Haider deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves after an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are nowhere near a one-off. They've missed 14 opportunities from a potential 27 chances at this World Cup and boast the lowest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are generally heading in the proper way – they are competing in just their second ODI World Cup after all – but inadequate fielding performance is a glaring concern which demands attention.