Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup tournament hopes alive

Women's Cricket World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

Sri Lanka took four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and maintain their faint aspirations of making it for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Pursuing a attainable score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh required nine runs from the last six bowls.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three wickets in four balls and de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a exciting success for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's first of the World Cup after three defeats and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates them equal on four match points with India and New Zealand, who meet each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, experienced a fifth successive defeat since winning their initial game against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Even though Bangladesh made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a poor fielding performance.

They offered lifelines to Perera, who was dropped multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Even though the Sri Lankan skipper failed to take advantage, removed lbw for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition suffer.

She scored a maiden international fifty, making 85 from 99 bowls and building an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket association with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the game, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th over causing a Sri Lanka collapse from 174-4 to 202 total.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23-1 in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty reconstructed their batting effort, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin retired hurt for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team heading into the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka removed Ritu and conceded merely three scoring runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team seized the win at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerve. The seasoned Athapaththu, who directed away a several of teammates as she prepared to bowl the last over, maintained her composure. The opposition could not.

There will be numerous questions about Bangladesh's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team looking comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the target was considerably smaller.

Yet, Bangladesh showed little intent from the start, scoring at less than 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, experiencing a top-order collapse, and eventually making themselves excessive to achieve.

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

It took them three efforts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty failing to hold a tough opportunity behind the stumps to remove Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was missed again on 55 runs and her score of 63, the final opportunity traveling straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before finally being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with batting partners falling near her.

Later in the game, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the second one was a little regrettable, with Rubya Haider substituting with the keeping duties after an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a available 27 at this World Cup and have the lowest fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are typically moving in the correct path – they are participating in merely their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding performance is a glaring issue which requires focus.