Sri Lanka overcomes Bangladesh to preserve their campaign ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team took four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to achieve a nail-biting win over Bangladesh and keep their slim hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Chasing a modest score of 203 on a good batting surface in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh wanted nine runs from the last six deliveries.

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

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the competition after three losses and two abandoned games against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them level on four tournament points with India and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, experienced a fifth successive loss since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the match to remove Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately penalized for a subpar fielding performance.

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

Even though Athapaththu failed to take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition suffer.

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

The Bangladeshi team, led by Shorna's 3-27, dragged themselves back to the game, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan downfall from 174 for four to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 for one in a uninspiring initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their batting effort, adding 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was advantage the chasing team approaching the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 runs necessary.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and gave away merely three scoring runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team grabbed the victory at the final moment.

In the end, it was a match of nerves. The highly experienced Lankan captain, who ushered away a several of team-mates as she set herself to bowl the decisive over, maintained her nerve. The opposition could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th over, but instead the required total was much lower.

Nevertheless, the batting side displayed insufficient intent from the start, accumulating runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a early batting collapse, and eventually making themselves too much to accomplish.

But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203 total target would have been substantially less.

It took them three attempts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to grab a difficult chance as wicketkeeper to remove Perera on 23 before the captain survived from a return catch chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63, the final opportunity flying directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before finally being given out lbw by Shorna as she sought to increase the tempo with partners being dismissed beside her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the run-out chance was a slightly unfortunate, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties following an fitness issue to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are not at all a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 opportunities at this tournament and have the poorest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are typically progressing in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second one-day World Cup after all – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious concern which needs attention.