Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh to keep their tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team claimed four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to complete a thrilling triumph over Bangladesh and keep their narrow hopes of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Needing a attainable total of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine runs from the final six deliveries.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to secure a exciting win for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them tied on four match points with India and New Zealand, who face each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, however, experienced a fifth consecutive loss since securing victory in their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a poor fielding display.

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

Even though Athapaththu was unable to take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya, Perera forced the opposition pay.

She achieved a first international half-century, making 85 from 99 deliveries and contributing to an important 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan collapse from 174-4 to 202 all out.

In reply, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring initial phase and they were afterwards diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their score, putting on 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of Bangladesh heading into the remaining two overs, with only 12 additional runs needed.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu and allowed only three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team snatched the victory at the death.

Finally, it was a match of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a few of teammates as she prepared to bowl the final over, kept her composure. Bangladesh did not.

There will be many inquiries about Bangladesh's batting performance. They could easily have been needing around 270-280 with the Lankan team looking at ease on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but instead the required total was much lower.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh lacked purpose from the very beginning, making runs at less than 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, experiencing a early batting collapse, and eventually leaving themselves too much to do.

But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203-run target goal would have been considerably lower.

It required them three tries to end the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Joty being unable to take a challenging opportunity while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the final opportunity traveling right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to accelerate the scoring with teammates getting out around her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was also a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the run-out chance was a somewhat unlucky, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves after an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Sadly for the team, such fielding problems are not at all a single occurrence. They've missed 14 chances from a possible 27 opportunities at this tournament and boast the lowest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are generally progressing in the right direction – they are playing in merely their second ODI World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding standards is a glaring problem which requires focus.