The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to maintain their World Cup campaign alive

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

Sri Lanka win by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four wickets in the last innings segment to achieve a nail-biting win over their opponents and maintain their narrow chances of qualifying for the tournament knockout stage alive.

Needing a attainable total of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the last six balls.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu secured three important dismissals in four deliveries and de Silva ran out Nahida Akter to bring about a thrilling victory for Sri Lanka.

The victory – the Lankan team's initial of the World Cup after three unsuccessful matches and two washed-out matches against the Australian team and New Zealand – moves them tied on four tournament points with the Indian team and the New Zealand side, who meet each other on Thursday.

The Bangladeshi team, however, experienced a fifth straight loss since winning their tournament opener against the Pakistani team and have been knocked out.

While the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the encounter to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a subpar fielding display.

They provided lifelines to Perera, who was missed multiple times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper could not capitalise, dismissed lbw for 46 a single bowl after being missed by Rabeya Khan, Perera made Bangladesh pay.

She registered a maiden international half-century, accumulating 85 from 99 bowls and sharing an significant 74-run fifth-wicket with Nilakshi de Silva.

Bangladesh, spearheaded by Shorna's three wickets for 27 runs, pulled themselves back to the match, with De Silva's wicket in the 34th innings segment triggering a Lankan batting collapse from 174 for four to 202 complete.

While batting second, the Lankan team's initial pace attack Malki Madara and Prabodhani contained the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a uninspiring initial phase and they were afterwards reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Nigar Sultana Joty restored their innings, contributing 82 for the fourth wicket before the batter withdrew due to injury for a determined 64 in the 36th over.

It was advantage Bangladesh approaching the remaining two innings segments, with merely 12 runs required.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and gave away just three runs before Athapaththu's decisive intervention, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, skipper Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as the Lankan team grabbed the triumph at the very end.

Ultimately, it was a contest of nerve. The very experienced Lankan captain, who moved aside a several of fellow players as she prepared to deliver the final over, held her nerve. Bangladesh did not.

There will be numerous doubts about Bangladesh's batting display. They could easily have been chasing around 270-280 with Sri Lanka seeming settled on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the chase was significantly less.

However, Bangladesh displayed insufficient intent from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 runs each over during the initial phase, experiencing a initial wicket loss, and ultimately forcing themselves too much to do.

But no matter what difficulties there are with their batting approach, if they had seized their catches in the field, that 203-run target objective would have been significantly lower.

It took them three tries to terminate the 72-run partnership second-wicket collaboration, with keeper Nigar Sultana being unable to hold a tough opportunity while keeping to dismiss Hasini Perera on 23 runs before the captain was spared from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.

Perera was dropped further on her score of 55 and 63 runs, the latter chance traveling right to Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being dismissed leg before wicket by Shorna as she attempted to accelerate the scoring with partners being dismissed near her.

Later in the innings, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a run-out opportunity lost, although the second one was a slightly unlucky, with Rubya Haider deputising with the keeping duties following an fitness issue to the regular keeper.

Unfortunately for the team, such fielding woes are far from a one-off. They've missed 14 catches from a possible 27 at this tournament and have the worst catch efficiency (48.1%) of the competing sides.

They are a team who are typically moving in the right direction – they are competing in only their second ODI World Cup in the end – but substandard fielding performance is a obvious issue which needs attention.