Sri Lanka overcomes Bangladesh to keep their campaign ongoing

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): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Athapaththu 4-42

Sri Lanka win by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the final over to achieve a nail-biting win over their opponents and maintain their narrow hopes of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Chasing a below-par score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team wanted nine more runs from the final six balls.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The victory – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three losses and two abandoned games against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them level on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, suffered a fifth straight loss since securing victory in their first match against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although Bangladesh made the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the initial ball of the game to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly penalized for a disappointing fielding effort.

They gifted reprieves to Hasini Perera, who was missed three times, and the Lankan captain.

While Athapaththu failed to capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made the opposition pay.

She registered a maiden international fifty, making 85 from 99 deliveries and sharing an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, fought themselves back to the contest, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th over causing a Sri Lanka downfall from 174 for four to 202 all out.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 for one in a lacklustre initial phase and they were later diminished to 44-3.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their innings, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh entering the final two innings segments, with only 12 additional runs necessary.

However, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and allowed just three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as Sri Lanka seized the win at the death.

Finally, it was a contest of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a few of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, kept her nerve. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be numerous doubts about the team's batting display. They could easily have been chasing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team looking settled on 159 for four in the 30th bowling phase, but instead the required total was much lower.

Nevertheless, the batting side displayed insufficient purpose from the very beginning, making runs at under 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves excessive to do.

But whatever issues there are with their batting, if they had taken their chances in the fielding department, that 203-run target would have been significantly smaller.

It needed them three tries to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to hold a difficult chance while keeping to dismiss Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was dropped further on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt traveling directly to Jhilik at cover field, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she sought to accelerate the scoring with batting partners being dismissed around her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was also a stumping chance missed and a failed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a slightly regrettable, with Jhilik deputising with the keeping duties following an fitness issue to Joty.

Sadly for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are far from a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and boast the poorest catch efficiency (48.1 percent) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are typically heading in the right direction – they are participating in just their second one-day World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious problem which needs attention.