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

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the decisive innings segment to achieve a heart-stopping victory over their opponents and maintain their narrow aspirations of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Chasing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the last six bowls.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a exciting victory for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's initial of the World Cup after three defeats and two abandoned games against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them tied on four points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who face each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth straight setback since winning their initial game against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the perfect start, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the encounter to dismiss Vishmi Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a disappointing fielding performance.

They offered reprieves to Perera, who was missed multiple times, and Athapaththu.

Although the Sri Lankan skipper failed to take advantage, removed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being dropped by Rabeya, Hasini Perera made the opposition pay.

She scored a debut international fifty, making 85 from 99 balls and building an crucial 74-run fifth-wicket with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna's 3-27, fought themselves back in the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th over causing a Lankan downfall from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

During their chase, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained Bangladesh to 23 for one in a uninspiring powerplay and they were later reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin and Joty rebuilt their score, putting on an 82-run partnership for the fourth wicket collaboration before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th bowling phase.

It was leaning toward the chasing team entering the last two bowling phases, with just 12 additional runs necessary.

However, Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and gave away just three runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as the Lankan team snatched the triumph at the death.

Finally, it was a contest of nerve. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of teammates as she set herself to deliver the decisive over, held her composure. Bangladesh failed to.

There will be many doubts about the team's batting display. They might well have been pursuing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team seeming at ease on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the chase was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little intent from the start, making runs at less than 2.5 runs per over during the powerplay, suffering a top-order collapse, and finally making themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But whatever issues there are with their batting approach, if they had taken their catches in the field, that 203 total goal would have been significantly lower.

It needed them three attempts to break the 72-run stand second-wicket association, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana being unable to grab a difficult catch while keeping to send back Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a return catch chance against Rabeya.

Perera was dropped further on 55 runs and her score of 63, the final opportunity traveling directly to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover, before finally being given out lbw by Shorna Akter as she sought to up the ante with batting partners falling beside her.

Later in the batting effort, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a failed run-out, although the run-out chance was a somewhat regrettable, with Jhilik standing in with the gloves following an physical problem to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding problems are nowhere near a isolated incident. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a potential 27 at this tournament and display the lowest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are typically heading in the proper way – they are participating in just their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding standards is a glaring problem which demands improvement.