The Lankan team beats Bangladesh to maintain their tournament hopes ongoing

ICC Women's World Cup, Navi Mumbai

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

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

The Lankan side emerge victorious by seven runs margin

Sri Lanka secured four crucial dismissals in the final innings segment to seal a heart-stopping triumph over their opponents and preserve their slim chances of making it for the World Cup semi-finals ongoing.

Pursuing a below-par target of 203 on a good batting surface in Navi Mumbai, Bangladesh needed nine more runs from the remaining six balls.

Yet, Lankan skipper Athapaththu secured three wickets in four bowls and Nilakshi de Silva dismissed via run-out Nahida Akter to secure a thrilling victory for the Lankan team.

The victory – the Lankan team's maiden of the tournament after three defeats and two no-results against Australia and the Kiwi side – elevates them level on four points with India and the New Zealand side, who confront each other on Thursday.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, suffered a fifth consecutive defeat since winning their first match against the Pakistani team and have been removed from contention.

Even though the Bangladeshi side got off to the ideal beginning, with Marufa taking a wicket with the first delivery of the game to send back Vishmi Gunaratne, they were rightfully penalized for a disappointing fielding performance.

They offered lifelines to Perera, who was dropped three times, and Athapaththu.

While the Sri Lankan skipper was unable to take advantage, dismissed leg before wicket for 46 a single bowl after being put down by Rabeya, Perera made Bangladesh suffer.

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

Bangladesh, led by Shorna's 3-27, pulled themselves back into the contest, with Nilakshi's wicket in the 34th over initiating a Sri Lanka batting collapse from 174 with four wickets down to 202 all out.

While batting second, the Lankan team's opening bowlers Malki Madara and Prabodhani restricted the opposition to 23 with one wicket down in a disappointing opening overs and they were later reduced to 44 with three wickets lost.

Sharmin Akter and Joty restored their score, adding 82 runs for the fourth wicket stand before the batter left the field injured for a determined 64 in the 36th innings segment.

It was in favor of Bangladesh approaching the final two innings segments, with just 12 more runs necessary.

Nevertheless, Sugandika Dasanayaka dismissed Ritu Moni and gave away only three scoring runs before the captain's chaos, with Rabeya, Nahida Akter, captain Joty and Marufa Akter all sent back as Sri Lanka snatched the triumph at the death.

Ultimately, it was a contest of composure. The highly experienced Athapaththu, who moved aside a several of teammates as she set herself to deliver the last over, kept her nerve. The opposition failed to.

There will be plenty of doubts about Bangladesh's batting effort. They could easily have been chasing 270 to 280 with the Lankan team appearing settled on 159-4 in the 30th over, but rather the chase was much lower.

Yet, the batting side displayed insufficient aggression from ball one, scoring at under 2.5 runs per over during the initial phase, undergoing a initial wicket loss, and eventually forcing themselves overwhelming to achieve.

But whatever problems there are with their batting lineup, if they had taken their catches in the fielding area, that 203-run target goal would have been substantially smaller.

It required them three tries to end the 72-run partnership second-wicket, with wicketkeeper Nigar Sultana failing to take a tough opportunity as wicketkeeper to dismiss Perera on 23 before Athapaththu survived from a caught and bowled chance against Rabeya Khan.

The batter was missed further on 55 runs and 63, the final opportunity flying straight to Rubya Haider Jhilik at cover field, before ultimately being given out leg before wicket by Shorna Akter as she attempted to increase the tempo with batting partners being dismissed around her.

Afterwards in the batting effort, there was furthermore a missed stumping and a missed run-out, even though the run-out chance was a somewhat regrettable, with Rubya Haider standing in with the wicketkeeping gloves after an physical problem to Joty.

Regrettably for the team, such fielding issues are nowhere near a one-off. They've missed 14 opportunities from a possible 27 opportunities at this tournament and display the worst fielding effectiveness (less than 50%) of the eight teams.

They are a team who are generally moving in the right direction – they are participating in only their second one-day World Cup ultimately – but inadequate fielding standards is a prominent problem which requires attention.