Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to keep their World Cup campaign breathing

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side win by seven runs

Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the final over to seal a thrilling triumph over their opponents and keep their slim aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals intact.

Needing a attainable total of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine additional runs from the final six bowls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling success for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's initial of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – pushes them tied on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, in contrast, suffered a fifth consecutive defeat since securing victory in their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

Although the Bangladeshi side made the ideal beginning, with Marufa striking with the first delivery of the match to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately punished for a subpar fielding performance.

They provided second chances to Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu failed to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera made the opposition pay.

She achieved a debut international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and building an significant 74-run fifth-wicket collaboration with De Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's impressive bowling figures, fought themselves back in the game, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th bowling segment triggering a Lankan downfall from 174-4 to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a disappointing initial phase and they were afterwards diminished to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Joty rebuilt their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a stubborn 64 in the 36th innings segment.

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

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu and gave away just three runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team seized the victory at the very end.

In the end, it was a contest of nerves. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of teammates as she got ready to deliver the decisive over, held her composure. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be plenty of doubts about the team's batting effort. They possibly have been needing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team seeming settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but instead the target was much lower.

Yet, Bangladesh lacked purpose from ball one, accumulating runs at less than 2.5 scoring rate during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and finally forcing themselves excessive to achieve.

But no matter what problems there are with their batting, if they had accepted their catches in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been substantially smaller.

It required them three tries to terminate the 72-run second-wicket, with keeper Joty not managing to grab a challenging opportunity while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on her score of 23 before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped again on 55 runs and her score of 63, the latter chance traveling directly to Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed beside her.

Afterwards in the innings, there was additionally a failed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the latter was a slightly regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the gloves following an injury to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are far from a one-off. They've missed 14 catches from a potential 27 opportunities at this World Cup and have the worst catching success rate (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are typically progressing in the right direction – they are competing in merely their second 50-over World Cup after all – but poor fielding is a glaring problem which demands attention.