Sri Lanka overcomes Bangladesh to maintain their campaign 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): Nigar Sultana Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four crucial dismissals in the last innings segment to seal a heart-stopping win over their opponents and maintain their faint chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage intact.

Chasing a below-par target of 203 on a favorable wicket in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh needed nine additional runs from the remaining six balls.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Athapaththu took three important dismissals in four balls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The triumph – Sri Lanka's maiden of the competition after three losses and two abandoned games against the Australian team and New Zealand – pushes them level on four match points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, endured a fifth consecutive defeat since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While the Bangladeshi side made the excellent commencement, with Marufa taking a wicket with the opening bowl of the match to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were deservedly made to pay for a subpar fielding performance.

They provided reprieves to Perera, who was dropped three times, and Athapaththu.

Although Athapaththu could not capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 one ball after being put down by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera made Bangladesh regret it.

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

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the match, with De Silva's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Lankan collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

During their chase, Sri Lanka's initial pace attack Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited Bangladesh to 23-1 in a disappointing initial phase and they were subsequently reduced to 44 for three.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty rebuilt their batting effort, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket before Sharmin withdrew due to injury for a stubborn 64 in the 36th over.

It was leaning toward the chasing team approaching the remaining two innings segments, with just 12 additional runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka removed Ritu Moni and conceded just three scoring runs before the captain's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida, captain Joty and Marufa all removed as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the final moment.

Finally, it was a match of composure. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a handful of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the final over, maintained hers. The opposition did not.

There will be numerous inquiries about Bangladesh's batting effort. They might well have been needing 270 to 280 with Sri Lanka appearing comfortable on 159 with four wickets down in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the target was considerably smaller.

However, the batting side lacked intent from the start, scoring at below 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and finally leaving themselves overwhelming to do.

But whatever problems there are with their batting, if they had seized their opportunities in the fielding department, that 203 total target would have been considerably lower.

It required them three attempts to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to grab a tough opportunity behind the stumps to remove Perera on her score of 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance possibility against Rabeya.

The batter was spilled once more on 55 and 63, the last attempt flying right to Jhilik at cover, before eventually being given out leg before wicket by Shorna as she sought to up the ante with teammates falling around her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was also a failed stumping and a failed run-out, although the run-out chance was a little regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the gloves following an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are nowhere near a single occurrence. They've failed to catch 14 catches from a potential 27 at this tournament and have the lowest catching success rate (less than 50%) of the competing sides.

They are a side who are overall heading in the correct path – they are playing in only their second 50-over World Cup after all – but poor fielding standards is a glaring concern which requires improvement.