Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh to maintain their campaign ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team took four wickets in the final innings segment to complete a heart-stopping win over Bangladesh and maintain their faint aspirations of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a modest target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine runs from the last six bowls.

Yet, Sri Lanka captain Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling success for the Lankan team.

The triumph – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three defeats and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them level on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, suffered a fifth straight setback since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although Bangladesh got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the initial ball of the encounter to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a poor fielding display.

They offered reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Even though Athapaththu was unable to capitalise, removed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being dropped by Rabeya, Perera made the opposition pay.

She achieved a first international fifty, making 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an crucial 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, dragged themselves back to the contest, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th innings segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

In reply, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later diminished to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, adding an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the remaining two overs, with merely 12 more runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and conceded only three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as the Lankan team seized the victory at the very end.

Finally, it was a contest of nerves. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of teammates as she set herself to bowl the final over, kept her composure. Bangladesh could not.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They might well have been needing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka looking settled on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the target was significantly less.

However, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from the very beginning, scoring at below 2.5 scoring rate during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves overwhelming to accomplish.

But whatever issues there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run goal would have been substantially smaller.

It took them three attempts to terminate the 72-run stand second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to take a difficult opportunity behind the stumps to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled further on 55 and 63, the latter chance going right to Jhilik at cover position, before eventually being trapped leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to increase the tempo with partners being dismissed beside her.

Subsequently in the game, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a missed run-out, although the run-out chance was a somewhat unfortunate, with Jhilik substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves following an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for Bangladesh, such fielding issues are nowhere near a one-off. They've dropped 14 chances from a available 27 at this tournament and boast the poorest fielding effectiveness (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are typically moving in the proper way – they are participating in only their second 50-over World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding performance is a glaring problem which demands focus.