Sri Lanka beats Bangladesh to keep their World Cup campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka emerge victorious by seven runs

Sri Lanka claimed four wickets in the last over to seal a nail-biting triumph over their opponents and maintain their narrow aspirations of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Needing a modest total of 203 on a batting-friendly pitch in the Mumbai stadium, Bangladesh required nine runs from the last six bowls.

Nevertheless, Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu took three crucial wickets in four deliveries and Nilakshi de Silva ran out Nahida to achieve a thrilling win for the Lankan team.

The win – Sri Lanka's first of the tournament after three defeats and two abandoned games against the Australian team and the Kiwi side – elevates 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, endured a fifth successive setback since winning their tournament opener against Pakistan and have been eliminated.

Even though Bangladesh made the ideal beginning, with Marufa Akter striking with the initial ball of the match to send back Gunaratne, they were rightfully made to pay for a subpar fielding effort.

They gifted reprieves to Perera, who was dropped three times, and the Lankan captain.

Although Athapaththu failed to take advantage, sent back lbw for 46 just one delivery after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Hasini Perera forced Bangladesh suffer.

She registered a first international 50-run score, accumulating 85 from 99 deliveries and building an significant 74-run partnership fifth-wicket association with De Silva.

Bangladesh, guided by Shorna Akter's impressive bowling figures, pulled themselves back to the game, with Nilakshi's dismissal in the 34th bowling segment initiating a Sri Lanka collapse from 174 for four to 202 total.

While batting second, the Lankan team's starting bowlers Madara and Udeshika Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring opening overs and they were afterwards reduced to 44-3.

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

It was in favor of the chasing team entering the last two bowling phases, with just 12 runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka removed Ritu and gave away only three runs before Athapaththu's dramatic spell, with Rabeya, Nahida, skipper Joty and Marufa all dismissed as the Lankan team seized the triumph at the final moment.

In the end, it was a game of nerve. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who directed away a few of teammates as she set herself to deliver the final over, maintained her nerve. Bangladesh could not.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They possibly have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka looking comfortable on 159-4 in the 30th innings segment, but in contrast the target was much lower.

However, the batting side lacked intent from the start, accumulating runs at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a top-order collapse, and finally leaving themselves excessive to accomplish.

But whatever difficulties there are with their batting lineup, if they had seized their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run target objective would have been significantly less.

It took them three tries to break the 72-run stand second-wicket, with keeper Joty being unable to take a tough opportunity while keeping to remove Hasini Perera on 23 runs before the captain got a reprieve from a caught and bowled chance opportunity against Rabeya.

The batter was dropped once more on her score of 55 and 63, the latter chance going directly to Jhilik at cover, before ultimately being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with partners getting out near her.

Subsequently in the game, there was furthermore a failed stumping and a missed run-out, although the latter was a slightly regrettable, with Jhilik substituting with the wicketkeeping gloves after an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding problems are far from a single occurrence. They've missed 14 chances from a potential 27 chances at this World Cup and boast the poorest catch efficiency (less than 50%) of the participating teams.

They are a squad who are overall progressing in the proper way – they are participating in only their second ODI World Cup after all – but substandard fielding is a glaring issue which demands focus.