Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to keep their World Cup tournament hopes breathing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

The Lankan team 202 (48.4 overs): Hasini Perera 85 (99); Shorna 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 over to seal a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and maintain their narrow chances of making it for the tournament knockout stage ongoing.

Needing a below-par score of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team required nine runs from the final six deliveries.

However, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida to achieve a exciting victory for the Lankan team.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three losses and two no-results against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – moves them equal on four points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, endured a fifth consecutive setback since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Gunaratne, they were deservedly punished for a subpar fielding display.

They gifted reprieves to Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu could not take advantage, dismissed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh regret it.

She registered a debut international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 balls and building an significant 74-run stand fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over initiating a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing opening overs and they were subsequently reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their innings, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage the chasing team entering the final two innings segments, with merely 12 more runs needed.

Yet, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and gave away only three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as the Lankan team grabbed the win at the final moment.

Finally, it was a game of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a few of teammates as she set herself to deliver the last over, held her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting performance. They possibly have been pursuing around 270-280 with the Lankan team appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th bowling phase, but in contrast the target was significantly less.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh lacked aggression from the very beginning, scoring at under 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and eventually leaving themselves overwhelming to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had seized their opportunities in the field, that 203 total objective would have been substantially less.

It took them three efforts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a difficult chance behind the stumps to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu was spared from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was spilled again on her score of 55 and her score of 63, the last attempt going right to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being trapped lbw by Shorna as she sought to increase the tempo with partners getting out near her.

Afterwards in the game, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the latter was a slightly unlucky, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves after an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are not at all a single occurrence. They've dropped 14 opportunities from a possible 27 at this World Cup and have the worst fielding effectiveness (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the proper way – they are participating in merely their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a prominent issue which requires attention.