Sri Lanka defeats Bangladesh to preserve their World Cup tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

The Bangladeshi team 195-9 (50 overs): Joty 77 (98); Chamari Athapaththu 4-42

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

The Lankan cricket team secured four crucial dismissals in the decisive over to seal a heart-stopping win over their opponents and maintain their slim hopes of qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Needing a attainable target of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh wanted nine more runs from the final six bowls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to achieve a exciting success for the Lankan team.

The win – the Lankan team's initial of the tournament after three defeats and two no-results against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them equal on four tournament points with the Indian team and New Zealand, who confront each other on the coming Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, on the other hand, experienced a fifth consecutive setback since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been eliminated.

Although the Bangladeshi side got off to the excellent commencement, with Marufa Akter taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to remove Gunaratne, they were appropriately made to pay for a poor fielding effort.

They gifted lifelines to Hasini Perera, who was spilled multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While Athapaththu could not capitalise, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

She registered a debut international 50-run score, scoring 85 from 99 bowls and building an crucial 74-run stand fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

The Bangladeshi team, guided by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back to the match, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th innings segment causing a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 total.

While batting second, Sri Lanka's opening bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani limited the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing opening overs and they were subsequently reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their score, contributing 82 runs for the fourth wicket collaboration before the batter withdrew due to injury for a resolute 64 in the 36th over.

It was in favor of the chasing team heading into the last two innings segments, with just 12 runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Dasanayaka sent back Ritu Moni and allowed merely three runs before Athapaththu's chaos, with Rabeya Khan, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all dismissed as Sri Lanka seized the triumph at the death.

In the end, it was a contest of nerves. The very experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a several of team-mates as she got ready to bowl the decisive over, maintained her nerve. The opposition did not.

There will be many questions about the team's batting display. They possibly have been needing 270 or 280 with the Lankan team looking comfortable on 159 for four in the 30th innings segment, but rather the chase was considerably smaller.

Nevertheless, the batting side showed little intent from the start, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the powerplay, undergoing a early batting collapse, and ultimately leaving themselves overwhelming to do.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had accepted their opportunities in the fielding area, that 203 total target would have been significantly smaller.

It needed them three efforts to terminate the 72-run second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a difficult catch behind the stumps to send back Hasini Perera on 23 before Athapaththu got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance chance against Rabeya.

Perera was spilled further on her score of 55 and 63, the latter chance going straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover position, before finally being trapped lbw by Shorna Akter as she sought to increase the tempo with teammates getting out near her.

Subsequently in the batting effort, there was additionally a stumping chance missed and a run-out opportunity lost, while the latter was a slightly unfortunate, with Jhilik deputising with the wicketkeeping gloves after an fitness issue to Joty.

Unfortunately for Bangladesh, such fielding problems are nowhere near a one-off. They've failed to catch 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this tournament and display the lowest catch efficiency (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are generally progressing in the correct path – they are competing in only their second 50-over World Cup in the end – but inadequate fielding standards is a glaring issue which needs attention.