Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to maintain their tournament hopes ongoing

Women's Cricket World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping win over Bangladesh and preserve their slim hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals alive.

Pursuing a attainable score of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, the Bangladeshi team needed nine more runs from the remaining six deliveries.

However, Lankan skipper Athapaththu claimed three crucial wickets in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to secure a dramatic win for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's first of the tournament after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against Australia and New Zealand – elevates them tied on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, in contrast, endured a fifth consecutive loss since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been removed from contention.

While Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the initial ball of the match to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully punished for a subpar fielding display.

They gifted lifelines to Perera, who was missed on three occasions, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu failed to make it count, removed leg before wicket for 46 one ball after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced the opposition regret it.

She scored a maiden international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and contributing to an important 74-run partnership fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, spearheaded by Shorna's 3-27, dragged themselves back into the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174-4 to 202 complete.

In reply, Sri Lanka's starting bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring powerplay and they were afterwards brought down to 44 for three.

Sharmin and Nigar Sultana Joty reconstructed their batting effort, putting on 82 for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin retired hurt for a resolute 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was advantage the chasing team entering the remaining two bowling phases, with only 12 more runs necessary.

However, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and conceded merely three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all removed as Sri Lanka seized the win at the final moment.

Finally, it was a contest of nerve. The seasoned Lankan captain, who moved aside a handful of teammates as she prepared to deliver the last over, kept hers. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting effort. They possibly have been pursuing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing settled on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but rather the target was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side lacked intent from the start, making runs at below 2.5 runs each over during the opening overs, suffering a top-order collapse, and eventually forcing themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But whatever problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had accepted their chances in the fielding department, that 203 total objective would have been significantly lower.

It took them three efforts to break the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Joty not managing to grab a difficult catch as wicketkeeper to dismiss Perera on 23 runs before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was spilled again on 55 and 63, the last attempt traveling straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before ultimately being trapped lbw by Shorna as she tried to up the ante with teammates getting out around her.

Subsequently in the innings, there was also a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, even though the second one was a somewhat unlucky, with Jhilik standing in with the keeping duties after an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are far from a one-off. They've missed 14 chances from a possible 27 at this World Cup and boast the worst catching success rate (48.1 percent) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are overall moving in the correct path – they are playing in merely their second one-day World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a prominent issue which needs attention.